Safety sessions held at Scarborough beach after 7,000 children helped by RNLI last summer

Children aged seven to 14 account for more than a third of lifeguard led rescues on the beach during summer, and last year’s figure of 7,010 is 600 more children than the year before.

It comes as sea-side resorts along the Yorkshire coast are busier than usual with school holidays and families choosing to holiday in the UK due to costs of travelling abroad and wild-fires affecting popular destinations in Europe.

To help keep children safe at the sea-side, where people may not be familiar with incoming tides and rip currents, the lifesaving charity has been hosting Swim Safe sessions in collaboration with Swim England.

Since Swim Safe was established in 2013, more than 160,000 children have been taught vital water safety skills and a new cohort were taught vital sea safety skills in Scarborough yesterday.

The 45-minute sessions are free and run by trained instructors.

As well as beaches, they are also held at inland sites plus at water sports activity centres and some Royal Yachting Association centres (RYA).

During the sessions, the seven to 14 year-olds are taught how to stay safe in and around open water and what to do if they, or someone else, gets into difficulty - including how to Float to live which is a technique to deploy when struggling in water whether it be a lake, reservoir or the sea.

James Woodhouse of the RNLI’s Water Safety team said: "With these latest figures showing more than a third of those requiring lifeguard assistance were children, it demonstrates why it is vitally important for children to know how to stay safe in and near the water. By educating them about water safety from a young age, together we can help reduce the number of incidents involving open water.

“As we celebrate Swim Safe 10 years on, it’s incredible to know that so many children have taken part and hopefully the knowledge they have gained, has helped to keep them, their family members and friends safe.”

Mother-of-three, Amy Donaldson saw the sessions advertised and took her own children along.

She said: “I saw Swim Safe advertised and thought I want my children to be safe in the sea and what a great idea this would be for my own children.

“I would say to other parents, definitely bring the kids down to do it. What they’ve learnt they will remember and will help keep them safe.”

During last year’s summer holidays, lifeguards at Whitby beach saved a family who were in trouble in the sea after getting caught in a rip current which appears like a calmer stretch of water with breaking waves either side, but is actually water channeling back out to sea, making it almost impossible to fight the current.

On August bank holiday last year lifeguards at Saltburn beach dealt with nine separate incidents across the weekend and tended to 18 beachgoers.

Three years ago a ten year-old boy was rescued alive after being missing in the sea at Scarborough South Bay for an hour.

He had been picked up by a high tide and strong winds but was found floating on his back in the water with his arms and legs spread shouting for help after watching lifeboat rescues on the BBC documentary Saving Lives at Sea and following advice given on the show.