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About us
Beat the Tide is a new not‑for‑profit Community Interest Company (CIC) in West Wales, dedicated to reducing suicide rates and strengthening the communities most affected by mental health challenges. West Wales has some of the highest suicide rates in the UK, and we believe more must be done through practical, local support.
Our work will combine year‑round community outreach with an annual one‑day music festival on Pendine Sands beach, bringing people together through music, connection and shared purpose.
What we do
Our roots will reach deep into Dyfed communities to provide real‑time help, funding and support to people fighting to "beat the tide" of their own mental health challenges.
Key aims:
Support people in crisis and those living with ongoing mental health difficulties
Help families and communities impacted by suicide
Raise funds and awareness for vital mental health charities and services in West Wales
Everyone who engages with our outreach and survives their own battles is invited to our annual celebration: a one‑day music festival on Pendine Sands. There, we celebrate life, educate others, signpost vulnerable people to help, and work to break down the stigma around poor mental health.
The Beat the Tide festival on Pendine Sands
Beat the Tide is not just a music event on a beach. It is a deliberately designed space where major artists, local talent and our community stand together against the "tide" of suicide in West Wales.
Through the festival we aim to:
Bring some of the greatest DJs and live acts in the world to West Wales
Provide rare, iconic opportunities for local artists to support global talent
Raise vital funds for mental health charities and projects supporting those at risk
The name "Beat the Tide" reflects both the literal challenge of staging a festival on the beach and the internal challenge of beating the tide of negative thoughts that can lead to suicide.
Our story
Beat the Tide was founded from personal experience of devastating loss and a shared commitment to change.
Steve Dickson, CEO of Beat the Tide, relocated to West Wales in 2019 following the death of his mother by suicide and to support his father and family through their grief.
Clare Sturman, CEO of Sammy‑Sized Gap, set up her charity after losing her son Sammy to suicide in 2023.
Steve and Clare met through these experiences and discovered a lifelong, mutual passion for doing something positive to help stop the epidemic of suicide racing through Welsh communities.
Clare created "Sammy‑Sized Day Out", a one‑day, healthy mind and body open‑air community festival in Narberth, designed to:
Bring the community together
Celebrate local skills and talents (music, poetry, dance, crafts, holistic therapies, mental health conversations and more)
Raise funds to keep Sammy‑Sized Gap running, so families have support when they lose a loved one to suicide
Steve is the live entertainment director for Sammy‑Sized Day Out, hosting the live music and DJ stages and bringing together artists from across West Wales. They work incredibly well together and have now embarked on this new chapter: Beat the Tide.
"Beat the Tide is not just a music event on a beach where we run the "gauntlet" of putting on a music festival on a beach and literally beating the tide, it also specifically refers to "beating the tide" of negative thoughts that can lead to suicide.
Having personally experienced suicidal thoughts on a number of occasions, I understand how hard it can be to identify that they are just thoughts, not facts and that my brain telling me the only option I have is to end my life is not a factual statement but a mental health crisis in action.
Understanding that and being able to mindfully identify the torrent of negative thoughts and beat the tide so suicide is no longer a threat is the way.
But its so hard in the moment.
Making people aware of this so if they are in crisis they can "beat the tide" and make it out the other side is absolutely the key point.
Providing better support for charities to better support people in those moments is paramount.
There are always solutions no matter how difficult the situations may be.
This is why we want to support 4 vitally important mental health charities to help reduce suicide rates in the most prolific industries where rates are the highest, specifically the music, farming/agriculture and construction industries.
Steve Dickson, CEO BTT.
Who we support
We intend to support everyone we can but starting with the four most concerning industries where suicide rates are obnoxiously high:
Music and live entertainment
Farming and agriculture
Construction and related trades
Local under privileged communities through outreach programs where suicide rates and poor mental health is sadly all too common.
By directing funding, visibility and practical support into these sectors, we aim to reduce the number of lives lost and help more people "beat the tide" of suicidal thinking.
Safeguarding and governance
We take safeguarding extremely seriously. Our safeguarding policy is reviewed monthly to ensure it remains up to date and fit for purpose.
You can download our most recent policy here:
Our Team
Steve Dickson
Founder & CEO
Steve Dickson, aka Mammoth DJ, CEO of Beat the Tide, is a seasoned music industry professional with over 30 years of experience in the music industry.
He was the director of Mammothfest metal festival for 15 years, hosting over 500 bands including Venom, Decapitated and many more.
He is well known in West Wales as "The Mammoth DJ", a resident DJ at Tenby Rocks in Tenby, performing weekly and bringing Ibiza to Tenby. He is also a Pure West Radio presenter, hosting regular radio shows on www.purewestradio.com.
Steve has managed many rock and metal bands, worked for Terrorizer magazine and, as a youngster, was a resident DJ at the Cove nightclub in Porthcawl where he cut his teeth as a DJ.
He lost his mother to suicide in 2019, leading him to relocate to West Wales where he met and now works closely with Clare Sturman. As a seasoned promoter, his skills perfectly align with hosting major events like this.
Clare Sturman
Director
Clare Sturman, CEO of The Sammy-sized Gap (SSG) charity, is a recovery coach, suicide postvention specialist and mental health campaigner based in Narberth, Wales.
She founded the grassroots charity SSG, offering support to individuals, families and communities bereaved by suicide, following the loss of her own son Sammy to suicide. She also serves as Campaign Lead for the Yaki Da Boi Project, delivering creative, harm-reduction-focused mental health support in rural West Wales, and co-leads Wild Grief Retreats in Pembrokeshire.
Her career includes 9 years as an Event Manager at Eventus in West Wales, roles as General Manager at The Dunster Castle Hotel, Venue Hire Executive and Food and Beverage Manager at Haynes International Motor Museum, and Catering Manager at Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water (2021–2025). She holds an M.Res from Swansea University (2021–2022), where she earned a Merit.
Gary Hicks
Director
Gary Hicks was a professional rugby player for Newport Rugby Club. Since retiring, he has joined Beat the Tide at Director level, assisting Clare and Steve in raising awareness of the Beat the Tide cause.
Through his impressive connections he helps bring in ambassadors, secure partnerships and bring the voices of many highly respected individuals to those who struggle – reminding others to get help and to check in on themselves and others.
Through strong messages about the importance of positive mental health, shared by such influential voices, we aim to remove the stigma surrounding suicide and make the world a better, safer place.
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We are hiring!
Setting up a music event on a beach will take considerable coordination, production tech, safety and so much more. We are looking for volunteers, businesses and individuals to help us deliver highly successful efficient and completely safe events. Think you have got what it takes, or services we need, contact us through our contact form below