MEET Matt Croxall

It’s about a year since I started my role as Senior Head of Membership and Field Operations at RLSS UK and I must say the time has absolutely flown by! It’s been such a privilege to be part of such a dedicated and hard-working team, all committed to providing people with vital knowledge and resources, as the charity has been doing for decades. I’ve also had the pleasure of meeting and working alongside many of our amazing volunteers who have such experience, expertise and passion for lifesaving.

I’m lucky to have a job which involves working with so many different aspects of the charity, so I thought I’d give an example of just a few of the things that a varied typical week for me at RLSS UK might include:

Monday - Respond to emails queries from volunteers. Support branches with their activity plans for the coming year. Meet with an external speaker for our upcoming National Conference. Give a TV or radio interview about our current water safety campaigns.

Tuesday - Post content and respond to comments on our Membership Facebook Group. Work with the Marketing Team to produce new resources for lifesaving clubs or resources like our new Membership Booklet.

Wednesday – Hold one-to-one meetings with RLSS UK team members. Support branches with RLSS UK Honours submissions. Contact volunteers to provide case studies to support promotion of William Henry Awards. Liaise with new Club Development Executive in Ireland to devise a new strategy for club support and development.

Thursday – Recruit and coordinate volunteers for an upcoming water safety event. Meet with new potential strategic partner. Provide content for update of volunteering pages on website. Coordinate on a fundraising lead for the Pilot Group in Scotland, Northumberland and Durham.

Friday – Work with Club Development Executive to provide content for club newsletter. Support Events Coordinator with planning logistics of Open Water Festival. Attend Water Safety Wales partnership meeting.

Weekend – Attend lifesaving sport or other RLSS UK event.

This shows just a sample of some of the wide range of work we have going on in the RLSS UK Charity Team. It really is amazing to play a part in all the many ways that we aim to spread the word and educate and enable everyone to enjoy water safely. We couldn’t do this without our members and volunteers, so thank you!