This just in from the Council via Mark (thanks) … great news about the investment into the lifeguards and their facilities.
SAFETY at Island beaches will be bolstered this summer with the arrival of a new lifeguard team and a rescue quad bike. The IW Council has invested in providing a new beach lifeguard team to patrol Ventnor Beach while the quad bike will become a rapid response vehicle for use at Ryde.
Both the lifeguard team and the new £5,000 quad bike will be on duty between May and September. The new beach lifeguard team will join similar teams already operating in Sandown, Shanklin and Ryde.
They will operate from a new £25,000-plus HQ between the Spyglass and Lion’s Rock Bandstand. Providing lifeguards will help the IW Council’s aim of earning Ventnor a coveted Blue Flag award next year.
“Safety of our beach users is of paramount importance to the IW Council and these measures will help to ensure that residents and visitors can enjoy a safe trip to our fabulous coastline,” said Cllr Tim Hunter-Henderson, IW Council cabinet member for environment and transport.
The three new lifeguards — as with all those employed by the council on its beaches — have been trained to the required standards by the Royal Life Saving Society. They will wear distinctive red on yellow beachwear and equipment will include loud hailers and torpedo buoys.
The quad bike has been provided at cost price from Newbridge company Wight ATV while Hovertravel has agreed to meet the annual cost of maintaining the vehicle. The quad bike will be used on Ryde Sands to counter the potential problem of people out on the sands at low water being cut off by the incoming tide. It will have a speed limited to 15mph to enable it to respond rapidly to emergencies while still operating at safe speeds on a crowded beach.
