Cornwall mum's Crowdfunder to develop coastal safety app for families
Jo Murray from Ladock near Truro says it will include everything from tide times to live advice
Last updated 2nd Jul 2022
A mum from Cornwall is developing a new coastal safety app to provide key information for families hitting the beach this summer and she needs support.
My Coast App will feature everything from tide times to live advice for families at the beach.
It comes as figures show 177 people drowned on the Duchy's coast between 2014 and 2019.
Founder Jo Murray from Ladock near Truro launched a Crowdfunder campaign to get the app going during Drowning Prevention Week.
She is working with partners like the RNLI, Met Office, South West Water and the Universities of Plymouth and Exeter and is aiming to raise £50,000.
Jo said the idea started after two years of ill-fated trips to the beach: "Every time I wanted to take my three children to explore beaches around Cornwall, it ended up as a bit of disaster.
"Either the tide was in, we would find that the beach wasn’t dog friendly or there were not the facilities that we wanted available.
"My Coast was born with the aim to take the luck out of enjoying a safe and amazing day on the coast and prevent failing miserably, as I had been".
Figures from the Royal Lifesaving Society show two thirds of people in the UK have not been taught water safety and half of accidental drownings happen in the Summer months.
The app will give coastal and beach users live safety and other useful, verified information to ensure they stay safe, find a beach to suit their specific needs and get the best out of their day.
The app is also set up to inform visitors about getting to coastal destinations without using a car by linking with public transport timetables, data on EV charging points, bicycle parking and walking and cycling routes.
Jo hopes it will reduce the number of avoidable deaths and accidents by delivering live safety information, emergency service push notifications and an emergency help button if a user got into difficulty.
She added: "Users can find out how busy an area is in real-time, so it will be easy to avoid crowds. It will also capture crucial data relating to visitor flows in popular coastal hotspots, useful for future planning considerations.
"My Coast will be an invaluable tool for so many reasons in Cornwall but also nationally, our country has more than 11,000 miles of coastline.
"To make this happen, I need the support from individuals and businesses who can see the immense value of the app, which will be free to download and use".
You can read more about the My Coast app and Jo's campaign on her Crowdfunder website.