"OSCAR" FOR SEA SAFETY AWARDED TO GOSPORT TOURIST INFORMATION CENTRE

12th December 2005: The Coastguard have awarded one of the very first 'Sea Smart Safety Awards' to Gosport Tourist Information Centre. These awards recognise and reward those TICs around the coast that are making a significant contribution to sea and beach safety. Gosport is one of just seven TICs in Great Britain to be awarded a Silver Sea Smart Safety Award.

According to research by the Coastguard's Sea Smart campaign, over a third of parents requiring sea and beach safety information would contact or visit a Tourist Information Centre. However, only 40% of coastal Tourist Information Centres visited had safety leaflets on display or handed over safety leaflets when specifically asked.

This summer, mystery shoppers visited seaside Tourist Information Centres around England, Scotland and Wales, to assess the range and quality of sea and beach safety information available to the public, and rate the helpfulness of the service they received. Those providing an excellent service received a Silver award and those going above and beyond the call of duty received a Gold award. The 12 winners are:

Tourist Information Centre Sea Smart Safety Award
Castlebay Gold
Felixstowe Gold
Forth Bridges Gold
Southend-on-Sea Gold
Whitley Bay Gold
Barry Island Silver
Filey Silver
Gosport Silver
Hunstanton Silver
Lochboisdale Silver
Seaford Silver
Withernsea Silver

Chief Coastguard John Astbury commented: "Tourist Information Centres are a vital source of coastal safety information for the general public. These awards are designed to acknowledge some of the excellent work that is being done. We also want to encourage all TICs based around the coast to follow these shining examples because this work can literally make the difference between a great day out and a potential tragedy."

The Sea Smart Safety Awards assessed whether Tourist Information Centres stocked any free sea and beach safety materials. The Coastguard provides free leaflets, posters and postcards, as well as wrist bands which enable children to be reunited with their parents if they get lost on the beach. The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) works closely with the Coastguard and also provides free materials on sea and beach safety to TICs.

The Coastguard Sea Smart campaign promotes sea and beach safety to parents of young children to reduce serious injuries and deaths on our coastline every year. To prevent a family day out turning into a tragedy, parents are advised to follow this simple four-point Sea Smart code when at the beach:

Spot the dangers
Always go with a friend
Find and read the safety signs
Emergency? Stick your hand up and shout, tell a lifeguard or dial 999 for Coastguard