TENDRING Beach Patrol paid a heartfelt tribute to a colleague who died suddenly.

Tom Petley was only 20 years old when he suffered a cardiac arrest in his sleep on April 21, 2022.  

The loss of the young man left his family, friends and colleagues devastated. 

Tom was a seafront warden and based at Clacton and Dovercourt for two seasons before his passing. 

Twelve members of the Beach Patrol team took on the challenge to walk the coastline from Brightlingsea to Dovercourt on September 9. 

Clacton and Frinton Gazette:

The walk took 11 hours and covered a length of 31 miles, with stops at all patrol huts on the coast. 

The team was joined by Tom’s brother Matt Ladkin and experienced walker Debbie Smith, who guided the group and set the pace. 

In total, the group managed to raise more than £1,000 for Cardiac Risk in the Young, a charity that specialises in raising awareness, screening and researching in young sudden cardiac deaths affecting young people between the ages of 14 to 35. 

The donations will go towards supporting heart screenings in the Tendring area. 

Tendring Beach Patrol is raising further donations on their dedicated JustGiving page.