THE potential dangers of cliff jumping were highlighted to pupils from Ysgol Bro Gwaun during a multi-agency event held at St Davids Lifeboat Station and the Blue Lagoon, Abereiddy.

Pembrokeshire Youth Service organised the event, assisted by Fishguard Coastguard Team, Dyfed Powys Police, RNLI St Davids Lifeboat Station, the Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service and Celtic Quest Coasteering.

Cliff jumping is a high-risk activity that involves jumping or diving from a height into water.

The risks involved in cliff jumping are the depth of the water can change, water may seem deeper from above, there could be hidden objects like rocks, cold water can cause shock and strong currents can be dangerous.

Workshops for students from Ysgol Bro Gwaun included watching a virtual reality film - specially produced by Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service for the event - showing the dangers from various perspectives.

The local PCSOs delivered a workshop on anti-social behaviour and its consequences and the young people were given a guided tour of St Davids lifeboat station and a talk on the RNLI’s ‘Respect the Water’ campaign.

During the afternoon, the group of young people watched a mock rescue scene which saw Fishguard Coastguard Team respond to a casualty who had injured themselves as a result of cliff jumping.

To finish the day, the youngsters were treated to a Coasteering session by Cleo and her team at Celtic Quest Coasteering.

Steve Lewis, community youth worker, said: “The key message of the day was to enjoy jumping into the water safely and respectfully, whilst raising awareness of the potential dangers of cliff jumping and ensuring the pupils are equipped with the skills and knowledge to potentially stop a serious accident happening.”

The event was sponsored by Stena Line.