Making a difference – Berts magic box

West Cornwall stand out and ex lifeguard Bert Wright realised very quickly the lack of professional lifeguards would spell trouble at his isolated local beach of Gwenver, Cornwall in May 2020. Taking the lead he set up a community action to raise funds to install a key coded first aid box, that experienced local surfers can access in case of emergency to help others.

“As a surfer, ex lifeguard and father, I feel it is imperative that we have essential First Aid equipment available at Gwynver beach for surf and beach accidents,” says Bert.

“We came up with a plan to provide the necessary equipment needed in case of emergencies, should anyone ever need it. 

“We got the beach owners permission to install a waterproof, code accessible box located on the beach, filled with vital equipment that could potentially save lives. Gwynver is a popular local surf spot, and I felt it couldn’t be left without First Aid equipment.”

Bert launched a Gofundme campaign which smashed its initial £200 target for first aid equipment and went on to provide funding for the box for two more years enabling surfers to access equipment needed to save lives.

As Bert says, “If it saves one life, it’s worth it”.

The box was used in a serious accident on 24 June where a patient was treated by local surfers before being handed over to the care of the Coastguard.

Bert then got extra help and added a defibrillator to the box.

With some of the most experienced surfers/lifeguards in the country, a first and box and de-fib the locals at Gwenver are a self contained unit capable of responding to almost any emergency.

A good job well done.

We sent Bert some Offshore Pilsners courtesy of Sharps so he can have well deserved beer after work in the summer sun. Great work Joe.

If you want to help fund equipment for lifesaving communities like Bert did you can donate here.

Rescues: Joe Bracegirdle, Trebarwith Strand, Cornwall 25 May

Rescuer Joe Bracegirdle, Trebarwith Strand, Cornwall 25 May

This is the first of a series of rescue stories we are going to recount to raise awareness of sea safety and the actions of volunteer lifesavers in May 2020 when 100s of volunteers put in 1,000s of hours to keep the public safe as good weather, large tide and swell coincided with the relaxation of lockdown to produce a perfect storm on the south wests beaches that had no RNLI lifeguard cover.

We have chosen this rescue first for several reasons.

The photo shows clearly what a rescue of a casualty looks like. A swimmer swept out to sea in large surf is in obvious distress. Joe paddling quickly to his aid. Without his intervention this clearly is not ending well.

Secondly Joe is a Cornish surfer and was one of many RNLI lifeguards who were laid off early in the season due to management decisions on COVID. But instead of giving up he chose to unofficially lifeguard on two of his usual surf beaches to keep the public safe. It is this outstanding attitude that the RNLI core values are based; ‘with courage nothing is impossible’.

Thirdly his attitude when recounting the events is one of modesty and commitment to helping others. A trait seen right through the lifesaving community. Saving life through intervention or rescue is a day to day occurrence. No one does it for any other reason than they just want to help.

“I think the whole of the surfing community in Cornwall and the south west could see what was coming that Bank Holiday – a weekend of solid surf and sunshine with no lifeguard service was always going to be quite full on.’ says Joe, 

“Knowing it was going to be really busy, everyone took it upon themselves to be out there on the beaches keeping an eye Out. A lot of rescues were made and undoubtably many lives were saved all around the coast. 

“I spent some of the week down at Whitsands letting people know they were walking into a rip and the rest up at Trebarwith where a fair few rescues went down by the guys out in the water. Everywhere was really busy and rippy as hell. We’ve had similar days since that weekend and been as busy as we ever get rescue wise so its a relief to be back on duty now.

“On the day of my rescue my girlfriend and I were hanging out at the beach. I was just about to go out for a surf when I saw a guy dive straight into a pretty horrible rip. He went straight out to sea. I jumped in and paddled out as fast I could as it wasn’t going to end well for him. When I got to him he was pretty shaken up, but I managed to get him in through the shorebreak ok. 

“Just before that a friend pulled in a learner surfer who had drifted right out and there were numerous other rescues throughout the day by surfers and the local surf lifesaving crew.”

We sent Joe some Offshore Pilsners courtesy of Sharps so he can have well deserved beer after work in the summer sun. Great work Joe.

If you want to help fund equipment for lifesaving communities you can donate here.

Thank you to the lifesavers

Carve surfing magazine and Sharps Offshore Pilsner have come together to say ‘Thank you’ and raise funds for the volunteer beach patrols equipment ( https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/thank-you-lifesavers ) of the surfing and surfing lifesaving communities, who selflessness ensured the safety of beach goers during the heatwave of spring 2020.

In late May, large waves, spring tides, hot weather and the easing of Covid-19 travel restrictions combined to form a perfect storm. As people left their houses to head to the beach, rips, tides and big waves made for dangerous sea conditions for those not used to such conditions.

Fortunately, the surfing and surf lifesaving communities had foreseen the problems. With no lifeguards on the beaches due to Covid-19, they launched voluntary Beach Patrols with basic equipment and quickly established safety procedures. It was perhaps the biggest mobilisation of coastal lifesaving communities ever seen in the UK. The beach patrols offered advice to prevent people getting into difficulties, set up observation patrols and hundreds of volunteers around the south west prevented many serious incidents and performed numerous rescues.

Despite all their heroics, going beyond their day jobs and giving up personal free time, most of the front-line work of the lifesavers to keep the public safe has gone unrecognised. That is, until now.

Steve England of Carve surfing magazine had a vision for a film that would capture the essence of the community’s selflessness and courage. He reached out to fellow surfer James Nicholls, (who heads up the marketing team here at Sharp’s) to support the creation of a dedicated film to say thanks.

Steve says, “Surfers and lifesavers are the frontline on many of our beaches for a large part of the year. For the most part their interventions and lifesaving go under the radar, but in the absence of lifeguards, the coastal community stepped in. It was such local, grassroots action I don’t think any of them have any idea how large or valuable their collective action has been in preventing loss of life at sea. They predicted the swell, weather and the trouble that some may find themselves in as a result of visiting our coast. They used their immense knowledge and skillsets and acted swiftly in great numbers to keep the general public safe on the beaches of Devon and Cornwall. Hundreds of volunteers were making thousands of interventions. It was outstanding – one of the most remarkable actions in the coastal community I have seen in my 42 years of surfing. They deserve a huge ‘thank you’ and that’s what this joint film, and Just Giving campaign, is delivering.”

James Nicholls, Marketing controller here at Sharp’s Brewery, says, “It has been truly humbling and inspiring to have witnessed the community step forward to keep our beaches safe during this crisis. Our incredible coastline is an integral part of our county and as a North Coast business it gives us great pride to be able to work with the team at Carve Magazine to recognise and share the courageous acts of these selfless heroes.”

Andrew Mayhew National Operations and Safety director at Surf Lifesaving GB says, “In Devon and Cornwall alone we recorded 1,621 interventions by Surf Cub volunteers, and we are still counting as we have just not had the time to look at all of them. At a glance, we will nationally be well over 2,000 saves.”
Andrew continues, “Most clubs have put in ‘monster’ hours, and on average per club over 100 hours per week. On Bank Holiday Monday we saw the likes of Perranporth Surf Lifesaving Club doing a big turn out and putting nearly 400 volunteer hours in in just three days. It’s certainly an incredible response and if you add up the national total that’s equivalent to nearly 10 years of reporting since the ease of the lockdown.”

St Agnes Surf Lifesaving Club led the way with observation patrols and wrote COVID operating procedures that were used by many other clubs nationally.Joel Henthorn said; “Together our 216 volunteer hours delivered 815 preventative interventions/assists and first responses at three incidents at Trevaunance Cove. I have no doubt the club’s community action saved lives.”

The film was put together by Cornish surfers Tim Boydell and Ben Jones of Light, Colour Sound. Tim Boydell said, “As soon as we heard about the project, we knew we wanted to be involved. I’ve grown up on the same beaches that many of the rescues occurred on, and where I’ve spent many hours as a kid playing on the beach or as an adult surfing. I know all too well the dangers that can occur at the coast and regularly step in where others may not have the experience or foresight to gauge a possible problem-or emergency.”

Tim continues, “What struck me the most was the selflessness of so many people. People who look out for others above themselves no matter what. This happened in every village, town and even on some remote beaches which I find incredibly humbling. These people are heroes in my mind without any question of doubt.”

We would just like to say…
THANK YOU.
Thank you for your foresight.
Thank you for your courage.
Thank you for your selflessness.
Thank you for being there.
For never judging.
For offering your experience.
And giving up your time.
To help others.
Here’s to the lifeguards, lifesavers, the carpenters, the builders, the teachers, and the furloughed.
Here’s to the legends, the surf clubs and the heroes.
THANK YOU!
And
Cheers!
Your dedication is not forgotten.
Here’s to Offshore days.

Click here to donate today.

The proceeds from the Just Giving page has been set up to raise funds for lifesaving equipment for the smaller volunteer groups who need training and equipment. We will keep you updated on the progress and show how the money is used.

Deadmans Raw