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 combines year‑round community outreach with an end‑of‑year 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 end‑of‑year 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 four vitally important mental health charities and focus on reducing suicide rates in some of the most affected industries, particularly:

  • 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:

DOWNLOAD Beat... CEO.docx