RNLI lifeguards have had another busy Summer on the beaches. However, it’s not just on patrol that they prove their worth – as the Hit the surf and Beach to city programmes show.

Hit the surf teaches children aged 8–12 a combination of surf skills and beach safety. RNLI lifeguards give them examples of life-threatening situations and teach them how to get out of trouble in and around the sea. Last year, surfing and bodyboarding accounted for nearly half the major incidents for RNLI lifeguards. As these sports grow more popular, Hit the surf is teaching vital safety messages in a fun way.

This Summer, Hit the surf programmes were run in Jersey, Cornwall, Dorset, Norfolk, Sunderland and Pembrokeshire and featured on Radio 4’s The learning curve. Since the scheme began in 2005, it has already reached more than 2,000 children including some with disabilities.

Meanwhile, Beach to city has been bringing the RNLI’s beach safety messages to the children of Birmingham for the past 4 years. Last April, for the first time, Beach to city went to London, and RNLI lifeguards spoke to more than 2,000 children in Lewisham and Southwark schools.

The Beach to city talks are given just before the Summer break, so that the tips on how to stay safe are still fresh in the children’s minds when they go on holiday to the seaside. The programme was launched in response to statistics showing that children from inland areas are much more likely to get into trouble in the water than those who live by the coast.