One of the country's top up-and-coming young surfers returned to Lusty Glaze Beach in Newquay this week to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the Junior Baywatch programme.

Newquay-based Leon Mansfield, who is one of the bright hopes for the future of British surfing, was re-united with instructors who taught him water safety and rescue techniques at the beach during the early years of the programme.

Junior Baywatch is one of most popular children's activities at The Adventure Centre, based at Lusty Glaze Beach. The course has fired imaginations and boosted the confidence of thousands of youngsters over the years.

This fun session introduces youngsters to sea safety, teaches basic surf rescue techniques and highlights some of the marine life found in the rock pools around the beach.

The activity has been praised by public bodies and positively reviewed many times by the national press, including the Sunday Times which in 2002 ran a colourful article on a Junior Baywatch session attended by Leon Mansfield.

Now 16-years-old, Leon has since become a top performer in junior surfing contests and competes at the highest level on the UK Pro Surf Tour.

Leon commented on the vital importance of courses such as Junior Baywatch to improve beach and water safety knowledge for kids. “It's a really positive course, which helps raise awareness of the dangers of the sea and how to react if you get in trouble,” said Leon.

He continued: “Things like knowing how the tide works, the best way to get in and out of the sea and how to perform a basic rescue are useful for all beach users, especially surfers. Then when you get older you know how to act and react in tricky situations.”

Lusty Glaze Beach has a long association with lifeguarding and water rescue. It is the home of the National Lifeguard Training Centre, which is accredited by the Royal Life Saving Society (RLSS).

The development of the Junior Baywatch programme a decade ago was a natural progression for the centre with a long association of training professional beach lifeguards.

Jeremy Griffiths, who is the founder of The Adventure Centre and the National Lifeguard Training Centre, said: “As a paramedic and a lifeguard, I recognised a long time ago that there was a need to instil coastal safety in youngsters from an early age.

“What we did with Junior Baywatch was package some of the basic lessons we taught to our adult lifeguards and presented in a fun and friendly way for children.

“This activity proved hugely popular from the start. Many children look up to lifeguards as heroes, and it's only natural that they should want to emulate their heroes. And for them to do this while splashing around and having fun, makes it a powerful method for getting the water safety message across to members of the public.”

Junior Baywatch is open to children aged 8 to 14 years and runs every day at Lusty Glaze Beach during the summer, and on request at other times of the year. Even younger children, aged 3 to 8 years, can join the elementary Baywatch Babes course. Phone 01637 872444 for details.