THE FATHER of an RNLI lifeguard is appealing for help to fund a new lifeguarding hut.
Wayne Norcliffe’s daughter, aged 17, was one of the RNLI lifeguards who saved two people at Avon Beach on August 7.
His daughter became a member of the Christchurch Life Saving Club (CLSC) at the age of 7 and has been training to be an RNLI Lifeguard ever since.
At the age of 17 she is now a qualified lifeguard but her father Wayne is still an active member of the Christchurch club that got her there.
Christchurch Live Saving Club teaches young people the skills needed to be safe in the water and often goes on to train them as lifeguards.
Chair, Jenny Frisby said: “We teach them the skills and a lot of them go on to work for the RNLI and this truthfully really helps them with selection.
“The RNLI always comment on how good the guards are from Christchurch. The two seniors along Christchurch Bay at the moment are from our club and have been in our club since they were 7 and 10.”
“We are trying to get more adults involved and we are currently doing adult training with the RNLI on Tuesdays.”
“If we can get this new club house it will mean that we can do training for the public and first aid training for the local community, we would also like to be able to do patrols on the beach as the lifeguards don’t start until June.”
“We have got £30,000 already but we need quite a bit more.”
Wayne is currently trying to raise awareness about the fundraising to develop the club’s hut, which he says will cost “North of £100,000”.
He said: “We need some more space and the new hut will have that. The RNLI already use some of our equipment to practice, so what we need to do is get the funds in place as soon as we can.
“At the moment with COVID, everybody's looking for money but we’re just starting the process of deciding how we’re going to tender the building and getting some builders in.”
The Club’s website says: “Following our Public Planning Consultation Evening on the 11th of September 2017 Christchurch Borough Council approved the amended plans on the 24th of May 2018.”
The link to the club’s Just Giving page can be found here: https://www.justgiving.com/christchurchlifesavingclub
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