Newhaven RNLI and National Trust launch tidal awareness campaign at Birling Gap
This summer, the volunteer water safety team at Newhaven RNLI are joining forces with the National Trust at Birling Gap over a series of weekends to educate the public on the dangers of tidal cut off.
Getting cut off by the tide is one of the most frequent reasons for RNLI callouts in the South East, with 314 people rescued by the charity in the last six years in the region, including several incidences in the Birling Gap area, involving rescues by crews from Newhaven and Eastbourne lifeboat stations.
This weekend, July 18 tp 19, will see the first of these in-person intervention strategies at Birling Gap with members of Newhaven RNLI’s water safety team on the ground from 12-3pm chatting to the public about the dangers of tidal cut off. The team will also be present on August 1-2, August 15-16 and the bank holiday weekend August 29 to September 1.
Clare Rozario, Water Safety Officer at Newhaven RNLI, said: “Tide times and heights can vary throughout the month, which can catch out unwitting members of the public in minutes, leaving them with no safe passage off the beach.
“We urge the public to always check the tide times before they visit the area, so they know when it’s safe to walk along the beach and when they need to head back. They should also always carry a fully charged phone as a means of calling for help, and if they get into difficulty, dial 999 and ask for the Coastguard.”
Simeon Marsh, Birling Gap Site Manager of the National Trust said: “The National Trust and the RNLI hope this joint campaign – timed around the summer weekends when the risk of tidal cut off is at its highest – will help raise awareness amongst walkers and beachgoers of the dangers of getting cut off by the tide and enable visitors to safely enjoy their time in the Birling Gap area.”