Cornwall mum of three develops app for seaside trippers

Jo Murray wants families to use the app to get the information they need for an "amazing day on the coast"

A mother of three has developed an app to give beachgoers all the information they need about going to the seaside.

Jo Murray, from Cornwall, said My Coast would give information on everything from real-time wave and weather conditions to toilets and parking.

Ms Murray has worked with South West Water (SWW), the RNLI, the Met Office and Plymouth and Exeter universities to get the free app to a trial stage.

Pilot schemes will be carried out at three beaches in Cornwall, in August.

Steve Instance from the RNLI said the charity was supporting the app

Ms Murray, from Ladock near Truro, said: "Every time I wanted to take my three children to explore beaches around Cornwall, it ended up as a bit of a 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."

The My Coast app aims to be a "one-stop shop" for people going to the beach

Ms Murray moved to Cornwall in 2018 following the sudden death of her husband Ian in Shepton Mallet, Somerset.

The pilot scheme, which has been funded by SWW and the European Development Fund, will be available in August for Perranporth, Gyllyngvase and Porthtowan beaches.

Steve Instance, RNLI water safety lead, said: "With this app we're able to communicate with people better - we're able to get messages about live information, about what's happening right now on the coast - and get it to people in their pocket".

Guy Doble, from SWW, said My Coast had "the potential to become a one-stop shop for visitors and residents" looking for information about Cornwall's beaches.

My Coast is hoping to raise £50,000 through crowdfunding, to enable coverage of more beaches across Devon and Cornwall.

Information on beaches is also available on different websites.