Wish you were here....

"RESCUERS last night blasted a family who set out to sea with a 12-month-old baby in a newly-bought boat with not enough life-jackets and no idea how to work the radio. Lifeboat crews were forced to rescue the five after the boat got into difficulties in bad weather off Anglesey. The family, all from the Chorley area, were very cold and “very distressed” after being brought ashore.

Moelfre RNLI spokesman David Massey said: “Thankfully all are OK, but tragedy could have occurred today. These people were very lucky. They called for help on a mobile phone. They thought they had a VHF radio on board but were unsure how to use it. There were not enough adult life-jackets for all those onboard to wear, although the baby had one. There were no distress flares onboard the boat either.” (From the Daily Post)

As the season approaches and our population triples with the thousands of visitors we get each summer it's worth remembering that most of our guests arrive from cities, geographically the North West, North East and the Midlands. We who are lucky enough to live here know the risks associated with this magnificent area; we know the tidal vagaries of the Conwy estuary, we know the frightening rapidity with which storms can blow up in the Straits, we know the treacherous nature of the Little Orme and we know that the Great Orme is a mini-mountain, its true wildness obscured by the apparently urban-friendly road around and the appearance of houses, just like they have at home. It's easy to rush to join the condemnation of those who set out to sea in a five pound note they've just bought (although doing it with a 12 month old baby does raise some issues, it has to be said) and it's easy for us to think that people who pop out for a stroll around the Orme in a pair of loosely fitting sandals and no rain gear without checking the forecast must be insane.

But those who dwell in cities all year round often have no concept of the danger involved. Because their own environment fences, walls and gates anything even mildly threatening, they assume the same must exist everywhere. Snowdonia and the Ormes and sea are staggeringly beautiful. But each year they claim lives, almost always because folk make assumptions instead of checking facts. We, however, can play a part, here. It's up to us to offer help and advice to folk who might tell us - in the course of conversation - their plans for the day. We don't need to be dogmatic, but simply point them to the right places for information. After all, if we do that, they're more likely to return in the future.