History 2026 – Perranporth Surf Lifesaving Club

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Perranporth SLSC was founded on 13th February, 1957 by 10 volunteer members. This makes Perranporth SLSC one of the oldest Surf Life Saving clubs in Great Britain. Several drownings at Perranporth beach in the early 1950s led to a public meeting in the town hall and, from there, the Club was formed. Its first headquarters was not much more than a small beach hut on the sand.

A professional lifeguard service was put into place in the early 1960s by Truro Rural District Council, which became Carrick District Council, until the RNLI took over in 2001. Members and volunteers provided volunteer patrols all this time, keeping beachgoers safe, and saving lives for almost half a century alongside the professionals.

It’s interesting to note here that Perranporth Surf Lifesaving Club was at the forefront of creating this new structure where paid professionals of the RNLI took on this task. After a successful pilot scheme, their services quickly became the national standard.

As you can imagine, much has changed since then. However, the foundations laid by our founders are still present today. Our Club is still run by volunteers, and at its very core, we’re still here to train people to use lifesaving skills to avoid preventable drowning.