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Fidelma Fitzgerald from Tralee who will be collecting to raise funds to buy a beach buggy for lifeguards at Banna, at Ardfert cross this weekend.
TWO Tralee women will be at Ardfert village this weekend collecting to help raise funds to buy a beach buggy for the lifeguards at Banna Beach.
Fidelma Fitzgerald of ‘The Wavers’— a group of women who swim regularly in Banna — said a beach buggy is vital so the lifeguards can get quickly to any medical situation that may arise on the long beach.
Fidelma said she could have benefitted from the use of a buggy recently when she was stung by a weever fish on the beach while the tide was out.
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She was in great pain and it took a long time for her to be physically carried to where she could receive the necessary medical attention.
“If they had a buggy they could have got there within a couple of minutes and I would not have been in pain for as long as I was,” said Fidelma, who, along with the other ‘Wavers’ — June, Anne, Sheila and Sinead — have been swimming all year round in the sea for the past four years.
Fidelma also said one of her friends had a stroke recently, but thankfully she was at the beach car park when it happened and was immediately transported to hospital and is now recovering well.
“If she had the stroke while swimming when the tide was out, then it would have been very difficult to get her from the beach to a vehicle to get the medical attention on time,” said Fidelma.
Fidelma received a permit to collect at Ardfert cross and hopes to eventually raise enough for a beach buggy and the medical kit (including a defibrillator) which could fit on the buggy.
They will be collecting from passing motorists between 10am and 8pm on Saturday and 10am and 8pm on Sunday. Fidelma thanked people in advance for any contributions they can give.
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