Lifesaving trio all set to make trip Down Under (From Barry And District News)

Lifesaving trio all set to make trip Down Under

AS WINTER hits and most of us focus on keeping warm inside, some volunteers are bringing'Baywatch' to the Vale.

The Rhoose Lifeguard team, based at Fontygary Bay, is training hard for a trip to Australia next year, when they take part in the World Lifeguard Championships.

The team, which is voluntary and has been going for 37 years, patrols Fontygary beach every weekend through the spring and summer, keeping swimmers and other visitors to the beach safe.

This year the club has stepped up its efforts to help them reach those in trouble quicker and more safely, by bringing in lifeguard experts from Australia.

These experts have been teaching members new techniques, including mastering the Ski - a 19-foot long kayak-like craft; and the 11-foot Malibu board, which is like a surf board, only designed for racing.

The coaches from'Down Under' have also been organising challenging gym training, to help improve the volunteers' strength, allowing them to swim through waves more quickly.

The team's dedication and enthusiasm to im-prove is already paying off. This year two team members won the British Double Ski Race in Bournemouth, and the Welsh event held at Aberavon. And the juniors (Under 16) won the Junior Welsh Lifeguard-ing Championships.

In February next year, thanks in part to 200 sponsorship from local employer Lafarge Cement UK, a team of three - Richard Price (18), Will James (20) and Dave Cooper (50) - will fly to Melbourne to receive more training, and to pitch their skills against some of the best lifeguards in the world.

Club vice-captain Will James said: "Being a lifeguard is extremely hard work, but also very rewarding. It's important we continue to develop our knowledge and skills to keep the beach as safe as possible. Our trip to Australia will benefit all the team members, as we will be learning new lifesaving techniques we can passed on to the juniors.

"We are grateful to Lafarge for its support, which will help us pay for our accommodation in Melbourne and subsequently boost our Fontygary Bay service."

Dave Dawson, Lafarge's Aberthaw Works manager, said: "We are delighted to support this hard-working team, and wish them every success in Australia. It's easy to take a voluntary service like this for granted, but we congratulate them on their commitment to im-prove and look forward to seeing their hard work pay off in this competition."