I made this film to illustrate the important role the Coastguard Rescue Service plays in our rural estuary village, and the value of community embedded infrastructure and professional training, married with local knowledge.
The Llansteffan Coastguard Rescue Team is made up of both villagers and individuals who live in the surrounding area, often in addition to a day job. They are a category 1 blue light emergency service, managed by the Department for Transport, combining voluntary and funded operations. Coastguard Rescue Officers collaborate across the emergency services, and deploy a range of search and rescue assets around the coast, including RNLI life boats, search and rescue helicopters and hovercraft, and a variety of other responders, in response to emergencies.
‘Gwylio’ has the dual meaning of ‘watching’ and ‘safeguarding’. But what is the future of safeguarding seaside places like Llansteffan? The village’s social and economic horizon is uncertain, we are vulnerable to climate change, an aging population, the rise of second homes, and public resources being closed.
People come to the shores for its beauty, to escape, relax or to feel invigorated, and there is much need for this. But in times of social and environmental crises the incidence of emergencies, and the need for a Coastguard, is only likely to increase.
So that Llansteffan can continue to be enjoyed by all, the community and its services must thrive. I hope that this documentary will be the first in a series exploring these themes.
A big thank you to all who gave me their time to share this story.
Gwylwyr y Glannau (English Subtitles)
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‘Gwylio’r Glannau’ was commissioned as part of AmCam2, Am’s digital community-based film festival. AmCam is supported by the Arts Council of Wales.