Rhondda (Cold Knap) Lifeguards Club celebrates 50th anniversary (From Barry And District News)

Rhondda (Cold Knap) Lifeguards Club celebrates 50th anniversary

4:50pm Tuesday 2nd October 2012 in News

A LIFEGUARD club founded 50 years ago in the land-locked Rhondda Valleys, and based for part of the year in Barry, celebrated its 50th anniversary with the launch of a book and DVD recording club history.

At a gala evening held last Friday at a packed Rhondda Heritage Park hotel, Rhondda (Cold Knap) Liefuards Club guests were presented with the book and DVD to mark the occasion.

RCT Mayor, Cllr Doug Williams, paid tribute to the club for performing 106 rescues in their 50 years, whilst Vale Mayor Cllr Eric Hacker thanked them on behalf of the residents in the Vale, for travelling to Barry every summer since 1967 to perform voluntary lifeguard duties.

Both presidents of the Royal Life Saving Society (East Wales) Glenys Jones and Surf Life Saving Wales, Peter Lake, congratulated the club on their remarkable history and on their record of introducing and developing young people in lifesaving skills, over so many years.

The club's president, Les Lewis spoke about the beginning and the early years of the club's existence and paid a moving tribute to the members no longer with them.

On behalf of Surf Life Saving in Wales, Peter Lake presented club secretary and vice-chair, Alun Humphreys and Phil Rees respectively, with certificates of thanks for all their hard work over the years. He also presented a certificate marking the club's golden anniversary to Les Lewis.

Phil Rees thanked Katrina Kirkwood, a digital story telling artist, who with support from the Communities First Trust fund and the Heritage Lottery, constructed a truly inspirational book and DVD recording and celebrating a remarkable golden achievement.

Copies of the book, titled, 'No Beaches in the Rhondda', can be ordered through the email address on the contacts page of the Club's website www.rhonddalifeguardclub.com