Lifeguards have met with schoolchildren from across Ceredigion to give them safety advice in the run-up to the school holidays.

A total of 50 schools have been visited by the RNLI across Ceredigion, with as many as 4,752 pupils in attendance.

During these sessions children are taught about the importance of swimming at a lifeguarded beach, the RNLI flags, how to Float to Live if they get in trouble in the water and how to get help for others in distress along the coast.

Youngsters were also asked to demonstrate how to float and are tested on their knowledge of the flags and which activities are safe to do in between them.

Lots of interactive tasks keep the children engaged and helps for them to better retain information. The session is followed by an opportunity for children to ask questions.

Water Safety Education Manager Anthony Jones said: "Our lifeguards really enjoyed returning to schools pre-school summer holidays.

"To provide children with potentially lifesaving knowledge. The Meet the lifeguard programme is really important leading up to the lifeguard summer season, where we see so many families travel to our fantastic beaches from all across the UK and Ireland. The programme, amongst other things, encourages families to plan their visit and always choose a lifeguarded beach.

"We teach the children four important key messages. Our aim is to increase young children's awareness of the potential dangers around the coast and to share that knowledge with friends and family to broaden our reach to ensure the communities we work in stay as safe as possible when visiting the coast."

· Visit a lifeguarded beach

· Check the weather conditions and tide times

· Familiarise yourself with the risks surrounding the beaches

· Prepare yourself for the conditions - wetsuit, life jacket, sun protection

· The importance of never visiting the beach alone

· Go with a group, make sure there’s a responsible adult to supervise

· Set up a meeting point in case you get lost or are separated

· Float to Live

· Lie on your back in a star shape, push out your chest and keep your mouth and nose out of the water

· Move your arms around to stay afloat, don’t worry if your legs sink

· If you have the energy proceed to wave one arm and shout for help

· If you see anyone in trouble on a lifeguarded beach alert the lifeguards

· Anywhere else along the coast, call 999 and ask for the coastguard

· Getting in and helping people is strongly discouraged to prevent putting yourself in danger

Any schools interested in further safety information or presentations from the RNLI can find more information here

Families looking for information to help them stay safe at the coast this summer can find it here.