Burnham-On-Sea’s Conservative town councillors have this week unveiled plans for a new wristband to be offered to families visiting the town to assist in reuniting them with lost children.
The wristbands are commonplace at many large events where parents can write their mobile numbers on the wristbands worn by their children.
Councillor Sue Barber, who is unveiling the plans, said: “Whenever we were in busy places with our kids, I was constantly on edge to make sure I knew where they were. Losing sight of them brought a heart-stopping moment. Not being able to find them is a parent’s worst nightmare.”
“In all the excitement of a seaside resort like Burnham-on-Sea sometimes children can become separated from even the most attentive parents. Providing wristbands to visitors will give them a little peace of mind that if the worst were to happen, there was a mechanism for reuniting them with their lost child.”
The councillors hope that a local business would want to sponsor the wristband as it would provide advertising to many thousands of visitors each year. The wristbands would then be distributed to visitors at the tourism office and other participating businesses on the seafront and High Street.
“These wristbands are relatively inexpensive so hopefully a local business will see value in partnering with the town council to deliver this important scheme” explained Cllr Peter Clayton who is also backing the scheme.
“It would be great advertising for them but also enhance Burnham’s reputation as a wonderful place to visit as a family.”
The scheme has won early support from Burnham-on-Sea mum Julie Flurry who said: “I’d definitely go and grab a couple of the wristbands whenever I was taking my kids down to the beach. It would only take a couple of minutes to do but would give me a little peace of mind for the rest of the day. It’s a great idea!”
The scheme has also been welcomed by Burnham’s MP, James Heappey, who added: “My kids are five and seven and we always grab wristbands whenever they’re offered to us at big events – losing them in the crowd is our worst nightmare.”
“Burnham is such a great place to spend time as a family and this scheme will really enhance the experience. I hope it will be backed by the remainder of the Town Council and I congratulate my Conservative colleagues in developing this excellent idea.”
