trained and trusted: what teenagers can do if you let them

For nearly 50 years students at Atlantic College ran inshore rescue services along a treacherous stretch of the South Wales coast. As auxiliary coast guards, lifeboat volunteers for the RNLI, and beach lifeguards, these 16-18-year-olds from different backgrounds and countries proved competent, courageous and determined. This is an account of the rescue services from their inception in 1962 based on the stories of the students themselves. They are by turns funny, grim and hair-raising. It’s ...