My Coast Crowdfunder Campaign Goes Live

A new coastal safety app that will provide key information to help users make the best of visiting the coast while staying safe, has launched a crowdfunding campaign to enable it to become a reality.

My Coast App is the brainchild of Jo Murray, a chartered accountant from Ladock near Truro, who came up with the concept from a string of ill-fated beach trips during the first Coronavirus lockdown.

Jo said:

“Every time I wanted to take my three children to explore beaches around Cornwall, I ended up as a bit of disaster. Either the tide was in, we would find that the beach wasn’t dog friendly or there were not the facilities that we wanted available.

“My Coast was born with the aim to take the luck out of enjoying a safe and amazing day on the coast and prevent failing miserably, as I had been.”

Jo has already recruited a host of key partners including the RNLI, MET Office, South West Water and the Universities of Plymouth and Exeter.

The app will give coastal and beach users live safety and other useful, verified information to ensure they stay safe, find a beach to suit their specific needs and get the best out of their day. 

“Users can find out how busy an area is in real-time, so it will be easy to avoid crowds,” adds Jo. “It will also capture crucial data relating to visitor flows in popular coastal hotspots, useful for future planning considerations.”

The app will inform visitors about getting to their destination without using a car by linking with public transport timetables, data on EV charging points, bicycle parking and walking and cycling routes.

A key aim of the app is to help to reduce the number of avoidable deaths and accidents on our coastline. It will deliver live safety information, emergency service push notifications and an emergency help button should a user into difficulty.

The Crowdfunding campaign coincides with the Royal Life Saving Society’s ‘Drowning Prevention Week’ (18 to 25 June). There were 177 drownings along the Cornish coast from 2014 - 2019 at a cost of £354m to the UK taxpayer.

Jo concludes:

“My Coast will be an invaluable tool for so many reasons in Cornwall but also nationally, our country has more than 11,000 miles of coastline. To make this happen, I need the support from individuals and businesses who can see the immense value of the app, which will be free to download and use.”

To find out more and support the Crowdfunder campaign visit www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/my-coast-app or email [email protected].