By Isle of Wight Observer
Sandown Mayor, Alex Lightfoot, and his deputy, Cllr Ian Fletcher, presented members of the Sandown Beach Lifeguard Team with framed certificates this week, recognising their contribution to beach safety in Sandown and their part in securing the coveted Blue Flag Award for the town for the third successive summer.
Cllr Lightfoot said: “This has been a very busy summer for the whole team, providing a seven-day service, and supporting the extension of the accessible wheelchair initiative. We wanted to say thank you for continuing to make Sandown a safe beach to visit and enjoy.”
Sandown Town Council has invested in providing buoys in the bay, litter bins on the beach, support to the Independent Lifeboat, opening Pier Street Toilets and replacing the toilets at Eastern Gardens with a purpose-built facility with showers and an accessible toilet.
Beach lifeguard manager, Todd Miller, added: “The team has responded well to a challenging summer and the support they have received in Sandown has been heartening. We have plans to develop the service further.”
This year saw the introduction of Beach Safety Volunteers, all aged between 14 and 15, who support the lifeguards in day-to-day operations. There was also training for Ryde Beach Life Guard’s ‘Beach Rookies’.