ICL helping save lives at sea – New eyes set for coastal blind spots

Work is underway to provide sand and surf lovers in Redcar with an extra layer of safety. Preparations have begun to install a new camera to link up to the existing local Coastwatch Redcar CCTV system as secretary and trustee Stan Whalley explained: “We have an excellent vantage point from the roof of the Zetland Lifeboat Museum. But the curve of the seafront to the east creates a blind spot.”

Permission has been granted to allow another camera to be placed on the seaward side of the Esplanade which will greatly enhance the ability to view down the coast.

“This will be in the Granville Terrace area, which has a slipway to the beach,” said Mr Whalley. “It’s already very popular with the public so the new camera will enable us to spot potential incidents, greatly assisting us in liaising with HM Coastguard.”

Photograph showing the expanse of Redcar’s popular beach, which will soon be covered by the new camera.

However, the new camera required a full update to the CCTV system, including hardware, greatly increasing costs. A fundraising effort was launched and with it a request for a donation of £500 from ICL. We decided to go further than that and chipped in with a thousand pounds. “We are regular doners to a number of organisations that aim to provide safety at sea, and we are happy to help,” said Andrew Fulton, Boulby Vice President and General Manager. “You can’t live in this area and not be aware of the pleasure people derive from our coast,” he added. “But there are sudden and unexpected dangers too which need to be guarded against.”

“This was a magnificent donation which helped us immensely,” said Mr Whalley. “As with so many charities, the last eighteen months has been a real challenge financially but the need for us to remain fully operational is always at the forefront of our minds,” he added.

In a future development Coastwatch Redcar want to erect another CCTV camera to cover the area of Coatham Bay obscured by the Regent cinema, another very busy area. Hopefully this can take place in the Spring of 2022 after construction work on the cinema is completed.