Bournemouth | Posted on September 10th, 2024 | return to news
Bournemouth safety scheme reunited more than 100 people this summer
The LV= KidZone scheme along the BCP coastline this summer reunited 118 lost people with their families during the summer months.
The beach safety scheme KidZone, run by Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council and sponsored by LV=, helped to reunite more than 100 people with their family or group this summer.
The scheme, which aimed to keep children and vulnerable people safe across the BCP coastline, ran for 63 days from 1 July to 1 September.
Around 37,000 wristbands were distributed to children and vulnerable people by dedicated LV= KidZone representatives, trained RNLI Lifeguards and BCP Council Seafront staff. These wristbands had the contact details and location of parents or guardians, to help reunite any missing person.
In total, the scheme helped to unite 118 lost people with their group in an average of just eight minutes. During the Bournemouth Air Festival alone, the scheme helped to find 33 missing people.
Councillor Richard Herrett, portfolio holder for Destination, Leisure & Commercial Operations said: “Our wonderful seafront attracts a huge number of visitors and residents over the summer season, and we know that on a busy day children and vulnerable people can disappear from sight very quickly.
“Losing someone can be a frightening experience for everyone involved, and the KidZone initiative plays an important role in improving the safety of everyone who visits our beaches.
“It has proved to be a huge success once again this year and we are grateful to LV=, with whom we have a long-standing and successful relationship, for their support again this summer.”
Discussing the value of the scheme, Samantha Preece, chief brand and communications officer at LV= said: “We’re proud to support such a fantastic initiative which has proved incredibly successful in helping reunite someone who was lost with their loved ones.”
The scheme has come to end now that children have returned to school after the summer holidays. If you are planning on visiting the beach whilst KidZone is inactive, trained RNLI Lifeguards can be found at Lifeguard Towers along the seafront, and remain on hand to offer help, advice and support.
KidZone was first launched in 2007. In total, the scheme has helped reunite 3,376 children and vulnerable adults with their parents and carers.
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