RLSS UK Lifesavers Magazine - May 2022

RLSS.ORG.UK | @RLSSUK

ISSUE 116 | MAY 2022

Together we can ensure everyone can enjoy water safely!

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Young Lifesave r Magazin s e inside!

DROWNING PREVENTION WEEK 2022 HELP SPREAD THE WORD THIS JUNE FOR DPW

FUNDRAISING HELP RAISE MONEY THIS YEAR FOR RLSS UK

LIFEGUARD STORIES READ GREAT STORIES FROM OUR LIFEGUARDS

RLSS UK CEO

LIFESAVERS

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Welcome back to

LIFESAVERS OFFICIAL MEMBERSHIP MAGAZINE OF THE ROYAL LIFE SAVING SOCIETY UK ISSUE 116 | SPRING / SUMMER 2022

ROBERT GOFTON RLSS UK’s CEO

Welcome to our first edition of Lifesavers 2022.

This year has seen another busy start for us but, rather than worrying about lockdowns and restrictions we have been preparing ourselves for an exciting year.

Over the last few months, we have said goodbye to some key members of the RLSS UK family and I would personally like to thank Mike Dunn (Operations Director) and Andrea Mackown (Senior Head of Membership) for their wonderful contributions to the Society, over many years. Inevitably, like all families there comes a time when people decide to leave our ‘nest’ and seek pastures new.

But alongside these goodbyes, we are bringing in new members to our family. We have created a number of new roles as we continue to move forward, rebuild the Society and help us be in a position to take advantage of the opportunities open to us post-Covid. Many of you will know that our charity arm was significantly hampered by the events of the past two years, and I am delighted that we have recruited a number of new roles (with more coming) to create a ‘Task Force’. The team will focus on helping our branches and clubs rebuild, adapt, and deliver on our ambitious strategy – Building Our Community.

We must look forward and not be afraid to challenge our thinking, particularly as the UK and Ireland emerge from the pandemic. My message is, that we need people to ‘roll up their sleeves’ and get active which we cannot achieve without working collectively and in collaboration. Therefore, if you are willing to help us build our Society, then please come forward.

I am also delighted that we have started to grow our qualifications and awards capability. We have a number of key projects in the pipeline, both new and old. With renewed vigor, 2022 will see us complete some outstanding projects and launch some exciting awards for the Society.

I can’t say too much at the moment but there will definitely be a nod to our impressive heritage and our links to our Queen in her Jubilee year. We also have some interesting developments co-created with our members which will see us develop new awards together and thus, harness the dedication and experience of our members alongside the skills of our staff team to create the perfect partnership. Again, within our strategy, we are committed to ensuring all our awards and qualifications are the best in the world.

Join our online lifesaving community, share your stories, read news and keep up to date.

Search for RLSS UK LIVESAVERS is the magazine of the Royal Life Saving Society UK. We love to hear all of your news. Please send your news, stories and photographs to marketing@rlss.org.uk RLSS UK is a company Limited by Guarantee.

Registered Charity No’s. 1046060 and SC037912.

rlss.org.uk | 0300 323 0096

Finally, we are investing in our research capability. Simply, we aspire to be at the forefront of research into lifesaving and specifically to cement our reputation as the leader in drowning prevention education. Over time, this research will help shape legislation, technology and demonstrate the significant impact we have on saving lives and helping everyone to enjoy water safely.

Exciting times ahead, and I hope you will be at our side on this journey.

Designed and produced for the Royal Life Saving Society UK by Gloss Media © RLSS UK 2022 All rights reserved. ISSN 0968 7726

Robert

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LIFESAVERS

CONTENTS

Contents 03.

16.

30.

CEO’s Introduction

Funded Training

Drowning Prevention Week

05.

Take a look at our sector skills funded training

Take a look at the plans for DPW 2022 and support our campaign

President’s Column

06.

News A round-up of news from across the UK and Ireland

08.

Trustee Elections Your chance to become a RLSS UK Trustee

10.

Why I Volunteer Bhavik Barochia talks about why he volunteers with RLSS UK

12.

Don’t Drink and Drown 2021 A look back on the success of December’s campaign

18.

Rebrand update

Aqua Parks

A round-up of the National Speed Championships 2022 and GBR Selection

19.

33.

NTA Steering Group

Membership

Learn more about our new National Trainer Assessors Steering Group

Update on the Branches pilot and all things membership

20.

34.

Overseas Opportunities

Fond farewell to Andrea Mackown

See where your training could take you!

21.

Andrea reminisces on her 8 years at RLSS UK

Water Safety Partnerships

36.

Take a look at our Water Safety Partners

A Year to Remember

22.

Bishops Waltham Community Swimming looks back on the pandemic

All you need to know about the new ATC/ATP Guidance Manual

37.

24.

Read about the research on the effect chlorinated water has on Covid-19

Consultancy Services See how we can help your business

26.

What do Lifeguards really think of their job?

Pool water and Covid-19

38.

Everyday Heroes Read some of the heroic stories of our very own Everyday Heroes

Read more on the results of our Lifeguard survey

40.

28.

Newfoundland dog club launches award scheme for dogs and their owners

Open Water Festival 2022 Sign up to the festival and get involved

RLSS UK SPRING / SUMMER 2022

Events

Read more about our RLSS UK Qualifications rebrand

Compliance

14.

32.

Newfs In Action

RLSS UK PRESIDENT

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MARK SMITH

RLSS UK PRESIDENT

I’m sure many of you will join in my excitement that the summer months will soon be upon us. More time outdoors, more activities and hopefully more time in the water. Yet sadly alongside this increased enjoyment is an annual increase of drownings that occur around our nations and beyond.

Are you ready?

42.

54.

Fundraising Challenges

Youth update

Take part in one of our fundraising challenges for 2022 and help raise money for RLSS UK

James Cossons provides an update on YLT activities

56.

44.

How you can support the charity From ecards, to AmazonSmile, and the charity lottery, see how you can get involved

46.

Your Legacy in Lifesaving A look at how members have found our free Will service network

50.

Importance of Lifeguards James Maginn talks about his role as a Lifeguard and its importance

52.

Lifeguard – who me?

Felicity Cornelius-Mercer took on a new challenge for 2022 – to become a Lifeguard!

Lifesaving Clubs survive the pandemic With the help of our grants and voucher scheme clubs are back thriving

58.

RLSS Commonwealth Update Tribute to the Mountbatten Medal and save the date for the Commonwealth Lifesaving Championships

59.

Water Safety Education Beach Patrol Service at Blackpool continue the work to educate in school

With the return of foreign holidays, there will also be more people going abroad – potentially to non-lifeguarded holiday pools. I know myself alone, I’ve had to do at least three separate rescues in such pools abroad while on holidays – proving our lifesaving training stays with us wherever we are.

I’d say now is a good time to brush up on your lifesaving training in advance of the summer season. In 2022 there are fully funded Lifesaver Instructor and Rookie Lifeguard Instructor courses for volunteers happening around the country. So, look up your local lifesaving club and ask them what courses you could join with one of their new instructors. Or maybe now is the time to become a lifeguard?

There are opportunities at music festivals, beaches, pools and outdoor swimming locations.

Now is also a good time to get your family and friends educated in lifesaving basics – as you never know when it might be you that needs them this summer. Could they do a lifesaving course at your local club or centre?

Even ensuring they have the basics, like whenever I swim, I always make a point of telling someone staying on land the exact location to give if they need to make a 999 call.

There are lots of ways you can get involved this summer, such as the plans for Drowning Prevention Week featured in this issue, directing people to safe supervised swimming areas and getting as many people as possible trained to help when it’s needed.

Together, let’s help everyone enjoy water this summer, safely.

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LIFESAVERS

NEWS

RLSS UK

NEWS IN BRIEF

IZZY CELEBRATES ACHIEVING HER GOLD MEDALLION AT 12-YEARS-OLD

GRAVESHAM LIFE SAVING CLUB SECURES PUBLIC AED Gravesham Life Saving Club’s outreach team, Save a Life Gravesham, has been working extremely hard for many months with local residents, the Parish Church, and the Community Heartbeat Trust to secure an automated external defibrillator (AED) which is available for public access in Gravesend.

In 2021, a local and well-known resident of Chalk Village, Gravesend, suffered a sudden cardiac arrest in the street and Gravesham Life Saving Club knew they needed to act.

Izzy Serventi joined the Nantwich Neptune Lifesaving Club age seven and quickly completed Stage 7 of the Learn to Swim programme at her local pool and wanted to do more than competitive swimming.

Izzy took up the Rookie Lifeguard programme on Saturday mornings and continued with the Learn to Swim programme during the week. By the age of 8 she had passed Stage 10 of the Learn to Swim programme and was onto the Rookie Lifeguard Silver Awards. By age nine, Izzy had completed the Rookie programme and came first in the RLSS UK Liverpool District Challenge Cup, and second in the Timed Sports Competition.

Izzy was desperate to continue with her awards but the next level, the Survive and Save programme, is usually aimed at ages 12 and over. Despite her only being nine years of age at the time, RLSS UK agreed to allow Izzy to start on the Survive and Save Medallions, as they acknowledged her amazing achievements at such a young age and didn’t want to hold her back.

In July 2021 Izzy turned 12 and so far has completed her: Bronze Medallion; Bronze Sport Medallion; Bronze Stillwater Medallion; Silver Medallion; Silver Sport Medallion; Silver Stillwater Medallion; and Gold Medallion.

She is now aiming to achieve the Distinction Award, which is awarded to those who achieve 3 Gold Level awards within a 24-month period. She will take her Gold Stillwater assessment in September 2022 and is currently working on the skills needed for the Gold Sport Medallion.

Izzy has already supported her mum, who has now passed her Bronze Medallion, as well as the Rookie Lifeguard Instructor Course, and is a volunteer teacher at the Nantwich Neptune Lifesaving Club. Izzy’s next step is to teach the younger members of the club as they embark on their Rookie Lifeguard journey.

The Rookie Lifeguard would highly recommend the lifesaving training and awards to others. She said, “You get to have loads of fun in the water, whilst learning essential lifesaving skills.”

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A local resident started a Go-Fund me page for an AED to be installed and within a few days, £2000 had been donated. Andy Fooks at Gravesham Life Saving Club began working with The Community Heartbeat Trust to ensure that the AED would be properly set-up and maintained.

As the local community pulled together, the AED was installed on 12th February this year and was unveiled by the widow of the gentleman who unfortunately passed away following his cardiac arrest.

Following the installation of the AED, Gravesham Life Saving Club has provided the Save a Life AED session free of charge to members of the local community, including the local councillor for Chalk, and the local Vicar.

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CUMBRIAN FIREFIGHTER AWARDED WITH PRIDE OF BRITAIN AWARD AFTER COURAGEOUS WATER RESCUE Stephen Wharton of Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service’s incredible response proved to be lifesaving for a 13-year-old boy who was drowning in the River Eden.

Kacper Krouze had attempted to swim across the river on a warm February day last year, but he began to struggle due to the icy water. His body went into shock, and he sank to the bottom of the river.

Appleby fire and rescue officers, who are all on-call firefighters and have full-time jobs in other professions, were the first emergency responders on the scene. Crew manager Stephen Wharton, a painter and decorator, jumped into the river with his flotation device on, but he quickly realised that his safety equipment meant he could not dive down to the teenager.

Without hesitation and going against protocol, he removed his device, helmet and all the air from his drysuit to enable him to dive 15 feet to the bottom of the river - risking his own life in strong currents and freezing conditions.

Firefighter John Bell also went into the river and he and Stephen were supported by firefighters David Anderton, Michael Dowding, Bradley Hall, James Wood and Neil Aitken from the riverbank.

Kacper had been submerged underwater for 25 minutes by the time he was recovered he was in cardiac arrest and severely hypothermic. Firefighters and paramedics resuscitated him on the riverbank before he was flown by air ambulance to a hospital in Newcastle, where he spent several weeks in intensive care. Incredibly, he has since made a strong recovery.

RLSS UK SEES NAME IN AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR’S BOOK

The High Sheriff of Cumbria was delighted to present the RLSS UK Certificate of Recognition to Stephen.

Stephen was also awarded The Queens Gallantry medal and the crew at Appleby Fire Station received The Chief Officers Certificate of Commendation. Stephen has also been awarded The This Morning Emergency Services award at the Daily Mirror Pride of Britain Awards.

The Royal Life Saving Society UK has had its name published in a new novel written by award-winning author S.J.Bennett.

The book, A Three Dog Problem: The Queen investigates a murder at Buckingham Palace, is a fictional mystery in which Queen Elizabeth II secretly solves a murder at Buckingham Palace.

RLSS UK sees itself mentioned on page 324, as the story tells of how Queen Elizabeth attends an evening with the Royal Life Saving Society UK as the charity celebrates its 125th anniversary and how she had been a member of the charity since the age of thirteen.

The novel may be fictional, but there is some truth to the story; in 1941, Princess Elizabeth (as she was then) became the first young person in the Commonwealth to achieve the Society’s Junior Respiration Award, providing an example to young people and helping to establish lifesaving and resuscitation qualifications across the network of nations.

In 2021, the Queen spoke about her lifesaving award and the memories she has of working for it in a video call with the charity.

It’s great to see the memories the Queen has of achieving her lifesaving award within the novel. It highlights how important the work of the Royal Life Saving Society UK is and what a trailblazer Queen Elizabeth was back in 1941.

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LIFESAVERS

CHARITY

ARE YOU THE MISSING PIECE OF RLSS UK’S BOARD OF TRUSTEES? Have you ever wondered what it means to be a Trustee of RLSS UK? Do you think you have the enthusiasm and knowledge to join our Trustee Board? Why not talk to our Trustees to find out more about their experiences by contacting us at

elections@rlss.org.uk

Did you know?

• RLSS UK Trustees make a huge difference to the charity, they have a fantastic opportunity to guide RLSS UK into the future • RLSS UK has Articles of Association that govern how the charity is run.

Members can vote on essential changes to this document • Decisions made by trustees impact national and local, commercial and voluntary work so it doesn’t matter how you’re involved - your vote matters

• 2022 is an exciting year with the position of Deputy President becoming vacant, this only happens every three years and the person elected as Deputy President will become our President in 2025. We will also be electing General Trustees.

• Any member over the age of 18-years-old is eligible to be a Trustee of RLSS UK

At our next AGM our Deputy President Deborah Hunt will become the President for a term of 3 years.

Below she tells us how she successfully campaigned to become elected and how you can stand too.

Hi everyone, In 2019, you our members elected me to be your Deputy President of RLSS UK and Ireland. Later this year I will have the honour of becoming your first female President, and I am looking forward to meeting as many of you as possible and working with you to promote our Society. Which makes 2022 an exciting year, as we will elect the next Deputy President as well as Trustees to sit on the Trustee Board. So now is the time for you to start thinking about standing for either position.

I was lucky to have a support team around me to help develop a strong campaign and share my vision and intentions to the wider membership. Campaigning can be stressful and challenging, so develop a support team to help you and ensure you have the sufficient time to commit, not only to the campaign but if successful to the Society.

• Run a focused campaign. So, concentrate on your message and vision and not what the other candidates are doing/saying • Talk to members in person, on the phone or by email. Help them understand what you stand for, your vision and why their vote is important to you • Share videos and photos of your campaign on social media • Comment on and share RLSS UK social media posts • Listen to the members: What do they want?

What matters to them?

Here are some tips to support you:

My time as Deputy President has been invaluable and as we develop our Society, my passion for supporting all our members is stronger than ever. If you want to know more about the positions and what is expected, then please contact me.

• Surround yourself with a good support/campaign team

Good luck! Yours in Lifesaving

• Have a clear vision

Deborah Hunt - Deputy President

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CHARITY

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YOUR TRUSTEES

CURRENT TRUSTEES

Our Trustees are vital to our charity. They volunteer their time and expertise to help us deliver our charitable activities.

Trustees may be appointed or elected so that we have a broad range of experience and backgrounds helping make decisions for RLSS UK. Trustees also sit on standing committees (Finance, Governance and Commercial) that best suit their background.

Trustees ‘elected’ by you, our members

• Mark Smith

President

• Deborah Hunt

Deputy President

• Cavell Burchell

Trustee & Governance Committee Chair

• Alan Sutherland

Trustee

• Dave Elliott

Trustee

• Bryan Finlay

Trustee

• Helen Bull

Trustee

• Peter Moyes

Trustee

Trustees ‘appointed’ by the Board

• Maggie Bradley

Trustee

• Richard Rickwood

Trustee & Commercial Committee Chair

• Tim Chadwick

Honorary Treasurer & Finance Committee Chair

?

To find out more about what’s involved in being a charity trustee, visit the Charity Commission website.

2022 RLSS UK TRUSTEE ELECTIONS Over 950 voting eligible members recently participated in our voting email survey. Following lower than hoped turnout in our 2021 trustee election, we are keen to understand what we can do better and how we can increase the number voting in our elections moving forward.

Most voting members knew the 2021 election was happening, but members needed more information to help them make an informed decision about whether to vote. We saw that members need to know more about the role of the trustees and why their role is important to the running of the charity and in shaping our future direction. Members also need more information on each of the election candidates, what they represent and what they each could bring to the role of trustee.

One of the first outcomes of the survey is that we will be setting up a working group to address key outcomes from the research, with the aim of increasing member engagement, especially by increasing knowledge of each candidate and what they stand for, in the run up to the next election.

Later in 2022 we will have elections for General Trustees and for a Deputy President. In 2025, the elected Deputy President will then take on the role of President. Not inspired by candidates in the past, then why not consider standing for election as a Trustee yourself?

Applications for trustees open on Tuesday 16th August.

Not sure if you are entitled to vote? UK Engage, our independent election provider, will send by e-mail voting details to those eligible to vote. RLSS UK will remind you to keep a look out for this email. As always remember to check your junk/spam folders. If you’re a member through your work, check if your personal email address is on the TahDah account as you could miss this vital information.

Voting opens on Tuesday 22nd September.

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CHARITY

RLSS UK WHY I VOLUNTEER

“I was always a keen swimmer and had a natural love and passion for being in and around the water. At the age of seven my mum suggested I make the switch from an intensive swim coaching program to a more lifesaving focused hobby, to provide a more rounded knowledge and experience of the water.

After searching for our local lifesaving club, I went to my first trial Rookie Lifeguard session at Windsor Lifeguard Club and absolutely loved it! It was a great opportunity to make new friends, learn new skills and apply what I had learned in the pool, to open water environments during the summer months.

As I grew older, my interest in lifesaving grew. I was fortunate enough to have excellent mentorship through my lifesaving instructors, Ray and Laura, who coached me not to only develop as a lifesaver but as a leader and supported me through a young leader’s award and then eventually my rookie instructor qualification. I eventually went on to complete my NPLQ and this supported me through many summers working at one of the UK’s largest theme parks both poolside and in their water park.

BHAVIK BAROCHIA Bhavik Barochia, RLSS UK Youth Ambassador, Windsor Lifeguard Club member and final year PhD researcher at the University of Southampton, talks us through his lifesaving journey.

RLSS UK SPRING / SUMMER 2022

Fast forward to today, I have been fortunate enough to be involved in the RLSS UK at numerous levels, from being actively involved as a committee member of my local club and RLSS Thames Valley branch, through to this fantastic opportunity to shape the future of the charity for young people as a youth ambassador. The volunteering has inspired me to develop proactive community collaborations, expand networks and make a difference to my local area.

I am still heavily involved in lifesaving education, as I recently completed my lifesaving instructor qualification and hosted my first Survive and Save course, to actively volunteering as a rookie instructor. I still get out on the lifeboats and volunteer at events during the summer months to make the most of the sunshine! This is a fun and exciting way to do something unique, which my friends are very envious of. Not every organisation can offer these kinds of opportunities.

RLSS UK has been instrumental in my career development.

I have improved my communication skills by spreading our drowning prevention message to all abilities and ages. This has also, in parallel, helped me better communicate my complex microbiological research to the public as part of my postgraduate studies. Solving problems during simulated incidents isn’t so different to solving scientific problems, sometimes thinking outside the box helps!”

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“ I love how RLSS UK has a positive impact on so many lives, helping people enjoy water safely and really building an inclusive and impactful network of true lifesavers. I have greatly benefitted from skills and character development with the society, while making friends for life.

I would strongly encourage anybody, particularly our young members, to get involved, and start their own volunteering journey with their local club or branch of RLSS UK.”

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LIFESAVERS

CAMPAIGNS

THANK YOU DON’T DRINK for supporting & DROWN In December last year we ran our annual Don’t Drink and Drown campaign which saw lots of great engagement across the country as well as on social media.

Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service kickstarted the campaign week as they had a stall in Newcastle quayside in partnership with Newcastle City Council’s Flood Management and Resilience Planning team, Tyneside and Northumberland Mind, and RLSS UK. They spoke to members of the public and also managed to feature on BBC Newcastle.

There were also a number of free Water Rescue Equipment Training (WRET) sessions throughout the week in various locations nationwide, with fantastic numbers attending to learn more about using water rescue equipment.

Staff from bars and nightclubs in Manchester received training from the Manchester Water Safety Partnership (RLSS UK, Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue, Greater Manchester Police, Canal and River Trust and the RNLI) during the campaign and featured on BBC News.

Training also ran in Runswick Bay in Yorkshire with The North York Moors National Park, Generation Green and RNLI Community Safety Staithes and Runswick Lifeboat, and saw Police Officers, Paramedics, Nurses and Sports Coaches taking part, as well as a group of young people on a residential through the North York Moors National Park.

There was even more free training at Tattershall Lakes, Lincolnshire for the Security and Maintenance teams at the lakes to ensure everyone can enjoy water safely at the park.

With all the great activity from the RLSS UK community, the Don’t Drink and Drown campaign featured on national BBC news, reaching over 87million people. The campaign also received fantastic coverage in various regions including Edinburgh, Sunderland, Newcastle, and Shropshire to name a few, with a reach of over 1 million combined.

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Social media posts from the RLSS UK accounts also received great coverage. They posted 58 times over the course of the week with content relating to Don’t Drink and Drown, with a mixture of videos, photos, links, and carousels. There was a total of 46,527 organic impressions on the posts with a potential reach of over 1million people. The posts were engaged with over 3,500 times and shared 400 times. Videos were viewed over 16,600 times with a very powerful video from water safety campaigner, Kirsty Walsh being viewed over 880 times.

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21 November – 18 December 2022

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CONSULTANCY AND PARTNERSHIPS

AQUA PARKS MAKE A SPLASH!

RLSS UK and its partners are leading the way in the drive to make the UK’s aqua parks among the safest in the world.

Aqua parks are increasingly popping up in lakes and reservoirs across the UK and Ireland, and for good reasons. These floating assault courses offer maximum fun for adults and children alike with various obstacles ranging from climbing walls and trampolines to water slides and runways. With the UK and Ireland still enjoying a staycation boom, and as more people have discovered the joys of outdoor activity during the pandemic, the popularity of aqua parks is all set to continue.

Safety is paramount to the success of this young and innovative water sports activity - aqua parks have only been operating in the UK and Ireland for the last decade. As the charity that enhances communities, so everyone can enjoy being in, on or near water safely; RLSS UK and its partners are at the forefront of the drive to ensure high levels of safety in aqua parks and a sustainable future for this exciting sector.

How do we make aqua parks safe?

The first UK aqua park opened in 2014. Today there are more than sixty operators running these family-friendly attractions, with more opening all the time. The Aqua Parks Association UK & Ireland - formerly the Aqua Parks Steering Group - was formed by a group of forward-thinking operators to promote safety and excellent standards in the industry to maintain public confidence in UK aqua parks.

RLSS UK has worked closely with the Aqua Park Association UK and Ireland since October 2017. The voluntary body aims to improve health and safety within the sector. It has developed a set of minimum industry standards and launched the UK’s first accreditation scheme for aqua parks. The accreditation scheme introduced a recognised and consistent safety standard, making accredited UK aqua parks some of the safest in the world. RLSS UK is the appointed auditor for the Aqua Parks Association UK and Ireland (auditing parks that have signed up for the scheme against the standards set out by the Aqua Park Association UK & Ireland).

The Industry Approved Aqua Park status is awarded to aqua parks that can demonstrate that they meet the operational and equipment standards set out within the guidance. There are two accreditations: ‘Silver’ shows that an aqua park has the correct documents, procedures, staff, and training in place for all the sessions they run, whilst the ‘Gold’ accreditation indicates that the aqua park not only meets all the operational standards demanded by ‘Silver’ accreditation but also that all its equipment has been third-party tested to meet ISO 25649.

(The International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) is an international standard-setting body composed of representatives from various national standards organisations).

The safety standards are approved by RLSS UK and Aqua Park Association UK and made available to all sites that have signed up to the Aqua Park accreditation programme. They are reviewed annually by the group and are discussed with the participants of the accreditation programme to ensure the ongoing safety of the UK’s aqua parks. Any urgent changes

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CONSULTANCY AND PARTNERSHIPS

brought about by new legislation are implemented as necessary outside of the annual review.

“It is an exciting time for the aqua park industry - the development of the Aqua Park Association UK and Ireland in 2021 is a huge step forward. The industry now has a voice. It also has an elected board of individuals with the safety and success of the industry at it’s core. As the auditing partner for the Aqua Parks Association UK and Ireland, RLSS UK is committed to supporting all Aqua Parks who sign up for the industry-approved process,” says Helen Bowker-Steer, Head of Commercial Services.

Ben Jury, Manager, New Forest Aqua Park, says: “Once the aqua park industry took off, we realised a need for regulating the safety of each site. We helped develop the Aqua Park Steering Group to share knowledge, write guidance in order to protect not only our businesses but every customer coming through our doors and ensure the UK aqua park scene is the safest industry of its type in the world.”

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aqua parks, and we continue to work on these standards in the UK and across the world,” says Romann Rademacher, CEO at Wibit and Vice Chairman of the European Community Committee on safety for inflatables.

“There has been a huge migration to outdoor activities like never before, but one of the biggest challenges is plagiarism, with some products on the water not as safe as we believe they should be. We want to make sure that every park operates safely.”

RLSS UK is also working with other leading manufacturers, including Aquaglide in the UK, to ensure the highest quality and product safety standards. For example, the accreditation programme aligns with the latest HSE guidance on sealed inflatables, which came into force in 2021.

How safe are aqua park inflatables?

Founded in 1996 by friends Robert Cirjak and Romann Rademacher, the German company Wibit Sports has revolutionised the market and is responsible for some of the most exciting and innovative aqua park creations in existence.

Water Parks are available in over one hundred countries across the globe. Sites range from the world’s largest floating park at Pure Beach in King Abdullah Economic City, Saudi Arabia, to the New Forest Water Park in the UK - expanded several times to add variety and encourage repeat business.

As one of the largest international aqua park suppliers, they have been committed to delivering the highest quality products to operators, across the world, for more than 25 years and is working with RLSS UK as a water safety partner.

“We have partnered with RLSS UK for four years now, and we’ve seen the UK market for floating water parks grow significantly in that time. As the market leader, we have set standards worldwide for the lifeguarding and operation of

Become an RLSS UK Industry Approved Aqua Park If you are an aqua park operator in the UK or Ireland and would like to register to become a RLSS UK Industry Approved Aqua Park, please start the process by completing our Aqua Park Enrolment Form by visiting www.rlss.org.uk/forms/aqua-parks-enrolment.

A member of the RLSS UK team will be in touch to book your site visit, which needs to happen when your park is operational.

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FUNDED TRAINING

ADULT EDUCATION BUDGET FUNDED TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES in England

Active Apprentice has partnered with Vision West Nottinghamshire College to fund our Sector Skills Academies that are offered through a delivery partner network of providers, including Creative Sport & Leisure (CSL), Future Fit Training, Royal Life Saving Society UK (RLSS UK) and Institute of Swimming (IoS).

The Sector Skills Academies offer support to learners who want to get into the Sport and Physical Activity Sector, offering the opportunity to study courses that the industry requires and potentially gain valuable, sustainable employment across the sector.

Funded training will be available to candidates in England (that meet the eligibility criteria) and will cover the cost of training.

Funding is means-tested and allocated to each individual based on their circumstance.

Candidates must: • Be aged 19 or over on the 31st August 2021 • Be a UK or EU citizen for three or more years and have the right to abode in the UK • Not be on any other government-funded training programme or in full-time education • Live in a funded supported area

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FUNDED TRAINING

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At RLSS UK we are thrilled to be able to offer the following training currently available using the funding: National Pool Lifeguard Qualification

Level 3 Award in Education and Training

Would you like to work as a swimming pool lifeguard, or maybe just gain the important skills to know how to keep your friends and loved ones safe in, on or around water- with the additional knowledge of what to do if someone needs First Aid treatment or CPR?

Would you like you teach others, this course is designed for individuals who would like to start teaching or for those who are already teaching but need a nationally recognised qualification for their career development, such as becoming a First Aid Trainer Assessor. This qualification is a requirement for teaching regulated First Aid qualifications within the UK.

Training includes the RLSS UK National Pool Lifeguard Qualification (NPLQ) and a range of online learning, providing you with a fantastic range of knowledge.

If eligible, there is a small administration fee of £50 payable to Active Apprentice. Please note funding for NPLQ is limited to East and West Midlands.

Training included the Level 3 AET and a range of online learning modules. all for just £99.

The course is delivered online with a total qualification of 120 hours, which takes on average 12 weeks.

National Pool Management Qualification Whether you are a Swimming Pool Manager, an aspiring Pool Manager or would like to understand more about managing a swimming pool safely - this could be the perfect training for you.

Training includes the RLSS UK National Pool Manager Qualification (NPMQ) and a range of online learning modules, providing you with a fantastic range of knowledge.

The National Pool Management Qualification (NPMQ) is a four-day management qualification aimed at any level of manager in the leisure industry.

If eligible, there is a small administration fee of £50 payable to Active Apprentice and a £25 assessment fee payable to RLSS UK; meaning you pay just £75 - the NPMQ alone is usually £480!!!

New Branded Clothing Range

COMING SOON! RLSS UK SPRING / SUMMER 2022

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QUALIFICATIONS AND AWARDS

REBRAND

UPDATE

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We are excited to inform you that IQL UK will be rebranded to RLSS UK Qualifications. The work has started, and you’ll notice changes over the coming months. The aim is to complete the rebrand by December 2022.

RLSS UK Qualifications will join the RLSS UK sub-brands already actively used:

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Introducing our new online area dedicated to supporting businesses with water safety advice and support services including bespoke training, consultancy, qualifications, equipment, and collaborative opportunities.

WATER SAFETY ADVICE FOR YOUR

BUSINESS

The new RLSS UK National Trainer Assessors (NTA) Steering Group has been created. The aim is for RLSS UK and NTAs to collaborate and actively take part in the development and continuation of the highest possible standards across awards and qualifications in the UK and internationally.

All NTAs were given the opportunity to apply, and 15 were selected and will remain on the Steering Group for 18–24 months. Your representatives are:

As a charity, our primary interest lies in water safety.

Our services offer impartial, honest, and cost-effective solutions that best suit your specific water safety needs and help create a safer environment. PLUS, 100% of all profits from our business support services go into helping us educate more people on how to enjoy water safely.

WORK WITH US WITH PRIDE www.rlss.org.uk/ water-safety-advice-for-your-business

Alistair Jardine – Scotland NPLQ, OWL, Lifesaving

Laura O’Connell – Wiltshire NPLQ, First Aid

Sharon Hunter - Hertfordshire NPLQ, OWL, First Aid, NPMQ

Muirti O’ Cearnaigh East County Cork, Ireland NPLQ, OWL, NVBLQ, Lifesaving

Steve Carter - Shropshire NPLQ, First Aid, OWL, NWSMP, Lifesaving Sean Kelly - Nottinghamshire OWL, NPLQ Michelle Hallam - Derbyshire NPLQ, OWL, First Aid, Lifesaving Di Cooke - East Sussex NPLQ, Lifesaving, OWL, NVBLQ, First Aid, NWSMP

Jason Dodman – Lancashire NPLQ, OWL, NVBLQ, First Aid, Lifesaving Jill Bridgwood - Staffordshire NPLQ, OWL, First Aid, Lifesaving Roz Boshell - West Yorkshire NPLQ, OWL, First Aid, Lifesaving Louise Wells - West Yorkshire NPLQ, Lifesaving

Deborah Ralph - Staffordshire NPLQ, Lifesaving, OWL, First Aid

Lauren Todd – Essex NPLQ, First Aid

Lucy Haines - Hampshire Lifesaving, NPLQ, OWL, First Aid

You can choose to feed directly into RLSS UK or through one of the members directly.

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ARE YOU A RLSS UK TRAINER ASSESSOR THAT IS WILLING TO DELIVER TRAINING OVERSEAS?

We are regularly asked to support partners across the world with bespoke training. Training is often for long periods of time, frequently requires expansive travel and is sometimes unpaid (expenses will be reimbursed).

Requirements for the role include: • A full RLSS UK Trainer Assessor for at least two years with vast experience in delivery • Expansive knowledge and understanding of the full range of RLSS UK qualifications and awards • Full and extensive knowledge of using an RLSS UK Account and the RLSS UK Course Management system

If you are a current RLSS UK NPLQ or NVBLQ Trainer Assessor and are willing to travel and be away for up to three weeks, we would like to invite you to apply to join a list of approved trainers that will be contacted if we require some assistance.

• It is desirable to have an understanding of the wider RLSS Commonwealth Royal Life Saving Society – Commonwealth Drowning Prevention (www.rlsscommonwealth.org)

Please send your CV with a cover letter detailing your experience in delivering training overseas or in an unfamiliar environment and your demonstratable suitability for meeting the requirements of the role to training@rlss.org.uk.

We are looking for 10-20 people, training will not be a regular occurrence but as and when required.

The application closing date is Thursday 30th June 2022.

Those that are shortlisted, will be contacted by Friday 29th July 2022.

SPECIAL THANKS TO...

MICHAEL FERGUSON Michael Ferguson from the Isle of Man has recently announced his retirement after being an active RLSS UK National Trainer Assessor for many years. Michael, 81, has been prominent in establishing and building RLSS UK’s presence on the Isle of Man and is a well-known promoter of water safety. As we bid our well-wishes to Mike, we would like to thank him for his dedication, enthusiasm, and being such a long-standing advocate of RLSS UK. His contribution to water safety on the Isle of Man is significant.

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David Springthorpe, Training Senior Manager, RLSS UK, says:

“I have had the pleasure of working with Michael over the years, and he has been a real asset to both RLSS UK and the Isle of Man, and many generations have benefitted from his knowledge, passion and experience in water safety. Building upon Mike’s outstanding contribution, I intend to continue to work closely with all the Approved Training Centres and Trainer Assessors on the Isle of Man and ensure his impact continues to benefit the local communities.

On behalf of the Society, I would like to take this opportunity to wish Michael all the very best for his well-earned retirement.”

CONSULTANCY AND PARTNERSHIPS

WATER SAFETY PARTNERSHIPS:

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A shared passion To help improve water safety, so everyone can enjoy being in, on, or near water safely.

An RLSS UK Water Safety Partnership is a commercial, mutually beneficial agreement for trusted brands synonymous with high standards of products and services, industry innovation and an ongoing dedication to raising awareness, educating people in water safety and promoting safe water-based activities.

All RLSS UK Water Safety Partners benefit from a bespoke package of safety guidance and support, plus exclusive use of the official Water Safety Partner of RLSS UK logo.

For more information about becoming a Water Safety Partner, please email learnmore@rlss.org.uk.

4LEISURE RECRUITMENT 4Leisure Recruitment is the UK’s biggest supplier of temporary and permanent staff to the leisure industry. Recruiting lifeguards for leisure centres, health clubs, hotels, holiday parks and spas, we have flexible work at great rates of pay to fit around the lifeguard’s schedule.

“We are proud to be a RLSS UK Water Safety Partner; with such a broad, and extensive client base, it made absolute sense for us to help the RLSS UK promote the important issue of water safety across the industry. We’re also pleased to be working alongside the UK’s leading lifeguarding and lifesaving training body to make Britain’s pools a safer place to swim.”

Amy Gilmour www.4leisurerecruitment.co.uk/lifeguarding/

PORT-SAFETY With the aim to save lives, PORT-SAFETY has developed the LifeLadder® - an innovative safety ladder improving safety in ports, cities and marinas worldwide; its bright yellow colour and solar-powered LightUnit makes LifeLadder® visible day and night.

The modular construction is easy to repair, made from reinforced rust-proof plastic and the carbon footprint of the product is less than 50% of ordinary painted steel ladders’ (cradle-to-gate).

“We are thrilled to have become a RLSS UK Water Safety Partner. With our common mission to reduce drowning accidents and ultimately save lives, the partnership provides a fantastic opportunity to share experiences and collaborate on a focused effort to make waterfronts safer. ” Stefan Urup Kaplan, Founder, and Director of Port-Safety www.port-safety.com

We’re proud of our respected and expanding group of RLSS UK Water Safety Partners:

Find out more about our Water Safety Partners at www.rlss.org.uk/water-safety-partners

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COMPLIANCE

COMPLIANCE The new ATC/ATP Guidance Manual is now available!

You will have received an email about the new ATC/ATP Guidance Manual for Approved Training Centres and Providers (ATC/ATPs), which is available now within your RLSS UK Account.

The manual is updated to reflect recent changes within other guidance documents and in line with guidance from regulatory bodies. The guidance manual details the requirements of an ATC/P under the ATC/P scheme. It is a recommended standard, before its enforcement in January 2023.

The main changes to the manual include a revised Internal Quality Process; a new streamlined Internal Quality Assurance (IQA) form; and changes to the minimum standard for people conducting Internal Quality Assurance checks.

With the changes to the minimum standard for people conducting Internal Quality Assurance checks, we have launched an online familiarisation session.

The online session will be free to complete until the end of August 2022 and is available in your RLSS UK Account under the ‘Awards and Training’ tab.

The familiarisation session is not designed to replace the prerequisites for someone completing an Internal Quality Assurance check of First Aid Qualifications.

We have also launched an ATC/P Coordinator training and competency module, also available to all present Coordinators under the ‘Awards and Training’ tab in your RLSS UK Account.

Common issues

During the External Quality Assurance process, we have noted some common areas where ATC/Ps are demonstrating further support or advice is needed. In each forthcoming magazine, we will be discussing reoccurring issues and provide recommendations.

Assessment paperwork issues For NPLQ qualifications, there have been instances where the Assessor has not marked the ‘Spinal Injury – Stabilisation’ skill as being completed. This is an essential skill that needs assessment - the assessment criteria, within the guidance and syllabus, states: This assessment should be completed even if a rescue board or PXB is available as it is an assessment criterion.

A second area that we have highlighted is the marking of theory assessments.

There have been several occasions where the marking is incorrect. Luckily, in most cases, this has not affected the outcome, but, on occasion, candidates, who should have failed, have been marked as passing this part of the assessment. When established at audit, it has resulted in some candidates needing to re-sit the area they have failed for their qualification to remain valid.

We recommend that when marking this paperwork: you do so in a quiet area you double-check the marking for accuracy you then request the presenting Trainer, or another independent person, to check the marking before the results are confirmed to the candidate and processed.

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COMPLIANCE

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Details on the Practical Assessment Record and Theory Assessment Candidate Answer Sheets are not being completed fully. This includes the Assessment venue and Society Number, signing to confirm the Assessor has checked records as detailed in the guidance and syllabus, confirming the overall results on the last page of the Theory Assessment Candidate Answer sheet. Although these areas are minor fields, they must be completed fully.

As a reminder, it is the ATC/P’s responsibility to ensure all assessment results are accurate and candidates are awarded the qualification they have gained.

Enrolment form issues Many examples we see do not include the ATC/P’s GDPR policy statement (or a location where it is viewable). To help, we have created a policy statement that you may choose to include during the enrolment process.

Insert your company details instead of the Xs. XXXX complies fully with the requirements placed on us by UK GDPR, the Data Protection Act, and the Royal Life Saving Society UK (RLSS UK) as an Approved Training Centre in relation to the handling, storage and sharing of data supplied to us. For further information, please view our Privacy Policy at XXXX or contact us at XXXX.

Meet Karen from the Compliance Team We would like to introduce a member of the team Karen, who is one of our Compliance Administrators, and her focus is the processing of audit requests and paperwork. Karen is here to support you during this process when you receive an audit request. If you have any questions, please, contact us at audit@rlss.org.uk.

When an ATC/P is using their own enrolment form - rather than a RLSS UK template - they should include their own GDPR policy statement and the RLSS UK’s policy statement; found within the template enrolment forms.

Contact us Our Compliance Team is available during our office opening hours to offer advice and support to ATC/Ps and TAs delivering and assessing RLLS UK qualifications and awards.

You can contact the team at compliance@rlss.org.uk or on 0300 323 0096.

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CONSULTANCY AND PARTNERSHIPS

RLSS UK CONSULTANCY

SERVICES

Have you ever considered the water safety risks around your business? From talking through your concerns to conducting a full risk assessment on your behalf – RLSS UK offers impartial and practical water safety advice to anyone with liabilities to people RLSS UK Consultancy Services for around water, including local Estate Management companies authorities, construction companies, Do you manage a property or development with water inside, onsite or around it? If the water is accessible to residents, leisure operators, and private visitors, staff, or the public, you may be liable. The water landowners. Our expertise expands could be a pond, fountain, stream running through, indoor or outdoor swimming pool or even a nearby body of water. across all water environments – Whatever form the water takes, it is important to recognise your accountabilities for managing water safety by taking the no matter how big or small. So, appropriate steps. RLSS UK is here to help - from supporting get in touch, we can help. you with your own specialised health and safety services to bespoke compliance advice, risk assessments, and relevant water safety training www.rlss.org.uk/consultancy contact us now at learnmore@rlss.org.uk or visit

www.rlss.org.uk/estate-managementconsultancy-service

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BUT THAT’S HOW WE’VE

ALWAYS DONE IT… Was there ever a more dangerous phrase when it comes to training? Just think about what improvements we would have missed if we hadn’t changed how we trained when innovations came along? We might still be diving down to retrieve a heavy rubber brick!

Sure, adapting your lifeguard training processes has several implications. These include challenging the comfort zones of time-served lifeguards and financial considerations. But you really can’t put a price on increased skills and confidence – and ultimately, more lives are saved.

At Ruth Lee Ltd, we were proud to work with the Royal Life Saving Society UK (RLSS UK) to develop our Pool Rescue Training Manikin. Its design came after a lifeguard in Canada approached us because she was so frustrated with what she called ‘a disjointed and unrealistic’ training process. She wanted a way for her lifeguards to complete rescues in a more realistic, linear way- from deep water recovery and towing to extrication from the pool, including the use of a rescue board. That’s where we stepped in!

Since its launch in 2017, thousands of lifeguards, all around the world, have been trained using the Pool Rescue Manikin.

It is transforming training around the globe, from the beaches of California to the icy fjords of Norway!

The manikin is showcased at many Drowning Prevention Conferences and Aquatic Events worldwide, and at the Association of Aquatic Professionals Show in the USA, Jennifer Wegener of the Emporia Recreation Commission said,

“Having the opportunity to try out the manikin during the conference (AOAP) opened my eyes to how inefficient our current submersible manikin was.

I really wanted my lifeguard team to understand how different a submerged victim feels. Your manikin comes so much closer than the equipment we currently have.

Within the last two weeks we have already used the manikin four times more than the equipment we have had for the previous four years!

My team has a better understanding of the feeling of an actual victim.”

RLSS UK currently approves the Pool Rescue manikin for use in training and for parts of assessment where a submersible manikin is specified. If you haven’t had the chance to swim with this innovative training tool yet, lookout for online demos, available through the RLSS UK Trainer Assessors Facebook Group, or call the team at Ruth Lee Ltd on 01490 413 282 Ruth Lee Pool Rescue Manikins, both adult and junior, are available to order from the RLSS UK Shop https://shop.rlss.org.uk/ruth-lee

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QUALIFICATIONS AND AWARDS

WHAT DO

LIFEGUARDS

REALLY

THINK OF THE JOB?

Rewarding, flexible, and the chance to make a difference are just some of the reasons why lifeguards love their job, according to a new survey by the Royal Life Saving Society UK (RLSS UK).

More than 3,000 lifeguards from across the UK took part in the survey, giving a unique insight into what the nation’s lifeguarding community thinks about the job.

Proud to know how to save lives Attracting an almost equal number of male and female respondents, the survey findings show that lifeguarding is a hugely satisfying occupation. Trained in First Aid, CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation) and pool rescue, almost three quarters (71 per cent) of lifeguards told us they felt proud to know how to save a person’s life, and 60 per cent gained satisfaction from being part of a highly respected profession.

“It is one of the best things I did – I now know how to help people and save a life.”

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QUALIFICATIONS AND AWARDS

Flexible shifts Lifeguards commonly operate as part of a team to keep people safe in and around the water. Working together builds trust and camaraderie, which makes the role more enjoyable. They are also often communicating with the public, and it is this social interaction that almost 70 per cent of lifeguards say they enjoy most about the role.

The ability to work part-time, full-time or on a casual basis to fit around other commitments, such as studying or doing the school run, is particularly valued by lifeguards. Almost 50 per cent of respondents told us that the flexibility of shifts was the key benefit of working as a lifeguard. This flexibility means the role is ideal for people of all ages, from students to parents to older adults, whether they want a summer job or a part-time position. With a nationally recognised qualification like our National Pool Lifeguard Qualification (NPLQ), you can work across the UK and even abroad.

“Go for it! It is a rewarding and fulfilling job.”

No two days are the same…

The variety of duties that being a lifeguard entails is another attraction of the job for 44 per cent of respondents. Working with the public means that no two days are the same. And when it comes to the role itself, lifeguards need to be able to deal with people of all ages and abilities, spot potential dangers, make quick decisions and take charge of situations to ensure the safety and welfare of people enjoying the water.

“It’s the best thing you’ll ever do in life.”

Transferrable skills As so many leading leisure professionals will testify, lifeguarding is a brilliant springboard for a career in the sport and leisure industry and even beyond. This explains why a third of respondents (32 per cent) say the development opportunities offered by the role is what they enjoy most about being a lifeguard.

From communication, leadership, and responsibility to working as part of a team, being a lifeguard can develop many critical and transferrable skills. We are aware of many successful, and even famous people who boast a lifeguard job on their CV! Our #IStartedAsALifeguard gives a flavour of what being a lifeguard can lead to.

Our NPLQ is recognised widely as the leading professional qualification for lifeguarding. It is an excellent starting point for a career in the sport and leisure sector, equipping you with skills that will last a lifetime.

FIND OUT about our National Pool Lifeguard Qualification (NPLQ) at www.rlss.org.uk/nplq FIND OUT about our National Vocational Beach Lifeguard Qualification (NVBLQ) at www.rlss.org.uk/nvblq FIND OUT about our Open Water Lifeguard Qualification (OWL) at www.rlss.org.uk/owl

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54% of lifeguards find out about their NPLQ course from their local leisure centre or swim club.

40% of lifeguards work as a lifeguard whilst studying.

18% of lifeguards find out about lifeguard vacancies through a friend.

68% of lifeguards say the social interaction is what they enjoy most about lifeguarding. *3,498 Lifeguards surveyed.

Here are just some of the reasons given...

“ It’s an amazing experience! ” “ You get to meet lots of people.” “ It’s a respected role that gives you the chance for self-development.” “ It’s rewarding.” “ The first aid is a very transferable skill.” “ It makes me proud every day.”

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EVENTS

We can’t wait to welcome you to our Open Water Festival!

Sunday 26th June sees our Open Water Festival take place once again at The Lenches Lake in Evesham and we would love to see you and your family there.

In 2021 we welcomed former Olympic and Commonwealth Games medallist Sharron Davies, MBE, and for 2022 we’ll have lots more surprises in store!

With swim events to suit everyone, Open Water Festival is a great event for the whole family.

Sign up by heading to: www.rlss.org.uk/ Event/open-water-festival-2022

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EVENTS

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Get in the metres for Make a Splash If you have signed up to our Make a Splash fundraising challenge, or you are looking for a new challenge for 2022, the festival is a great way to add to your kilometers!

If you haven’t signed up yet, what are you waiting for? Make a Splash means you can challenge yourself physically and mentally whilst raising money for RLSS UK. Choose between distances from 10km to 100km and start your fundraising at the Open Water Festival. Head to www.rlss.org.uk/make-a-splash to get involved.

Benefits of open water swimming 1. It boosts your immune system 2. It gives you a natural high 3. It improves your circulation 4. It burns calories 5. It reduces stress

A great way to prepare for the Open Water Festival is by downloading our Sponge to Plunge two week home plan which helps you to acclimatise to cold water and reduce the impact of cold water immersion.

Head to www.rlss.org.uk/sponge-to-plunge to download yours and make sure you are prepared to take the plunge!

With thanks to our Open Water Festival headline sponsor

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5 Jun 2 e 18

2022

Register now for Drowning Prevention Week 2022 Visit www.rlss.org.uk/dpw RLSS UK SPRING / SUMMER 2022

CAMPAIGNS

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IT’S DROWNING PREVENTION WEEK BETWEEN 18th – 25th JUNE 2022 Drowning Prevention Week (DPW) aims to ensure that everyone across the UK engages in vital education in the run up to a busy and potential life changing summer. Through the campaign we want it to be lifechanging for the right reasons, helping the public to create lasting memories because of their activity in, on and around the water.

There has been much work done to accelerate a downward trend in the number of UK and Irish accidental drownings, yet last summer was sobering, as it once again saw an increase in the number of fatal incidents. In July 2021, there were 49 accidental drownings in the space of just two weeks in the UK. We all know that many incidents are completely preventable and with a base level of education, knowledge and training we can encourage and influence people to make those correct decisions around water. That’s what we all do, every day, right? And we inviting all of members to do even more this Drowning Prevention Week to ensure the charity, and the campaign messages reach a wider audience.

We have an aim this year to raise awareness and increase resonance with our activities, ultimately driving more people to engage in our education programmes and increase the numbers considering joining a club, a class and considering a career in water safety through one of our qualifications.

What’s on the cards this year?

We’re creating a new animation film, plotting the journey of a young person who shows apprehension of the water but through education and joining a lifesaving club, build up their confidence to love the water and eventually become a lifeguard.

Building our digital assets both in English and in Welsh. We have a suit of message templates and social media resources.

Really easy to share and promote so please do. www.rlss.org.uk/pages/category/ drowning-prevention-week-shareable-graphic.

Enhancement of pool and leisure based resources, we have engaging activities available for delivery in a variety of aquatic settings.

Education, education and education! It remains a focal drive to get messages to young people, at an early stage of their development. We are focusing on our efforts on primary school-aged children, creating a stronger link into our programmes, especially Rookie.

Expansive work with a variety of water safety partners, has delivered thematic lessons available for those aged 5 -11, supplementing our existing variety of school resources, across the age groups.

This is how you can get involved to create the positive narrative with us this summer?

Simple and easy things you can do to make a massive impact INDIVIDUALS 1) Get social – share social media messages or if you fancy a good old chat talk to local people and families about the charity and crucial water safety messaging. The website includes key talking points and materials to share on social media – including a number of positive videos and images.

2) Reach out to local schools – we hope you’ll get on to local schools and teachers to encourage them to deliver a water safety theme week, or you could pop in and deliver an assembly presentation.

3) Reach out to local youth groups – many local groups use water as a way to deliver engaging activity. Our age appropriate schools materials are versatile and easy to use.

CLUBS AND LEISURE PROVIDERS 1) Get social – a simple message to your members could make a massive difference and is added value. Use you internal communications and social media channels to share the campaign.

2) Deliver a free welcome session – the campaign will be encouraging traffic into leisure centres and clubs, a great shop window to get young people and their families interested. Why not remove barriers and run an initial free session.

3) Deliver DPW activities as part of your usual activities – turn your swimming and water safety lessons based around DPW. 4)Write to your local MP – we have templates and we are encouraging clubs and providers to lobby their MP to support DPW and highlight the great work you are doing.

Growing water safety and our activities requires a number of methods and this is a simple way to highlight your work.

RLSS UK and you, our brilliant members, have been caring for families since 1891 and you are invited and encouraged to get involved to help everyone across the UK and Ireland enjoy water safely, this Drowning Prevention Week.

Use the #Drowningpreventionweek in all of your social media activity.

Follow us on Instagram for a chance to win some great prizes.

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2022 LIFESAVING

WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

DECLARATION CLOSES AT THE END OF MAY There is still time for eligible athletes to formally declare to participate in the Selection Process to become a member of the GBR Lifesaving Youth and Open Teams to compete at the ILS World Lifesaving Championships in Riccione, Italy between 18th September and 3rd October 2022.

Selection is open to any athlete who is a full current member of either RLSS UK, SLSA Wales, or SLSGB who will be able to meet the selection criteria.

Every two years the ILS organises the Lifesaving World Championships, showcasing excellence in lifesaving sports and rescue; attracting the most talented and skilled lifesaving athletes to compete for the title of World’s best.

The championships attract competitors from over 40 nations, including Great Britain. Teams will race in various events across days of intense competition, racing the best in the world.

Team GBR have produced some fantastic results in past championships and managed to bring home numerous medals, and we’re sure 2022 will be no different!

The closing date for declaration for selection is 31st May 2022.

Head over to www.rlss.org.uk/lifesaving-sport-gbr-lifesaving to read the GBR conditions, athlete agreement and code of conduct.

2022 NATIONAL SPEED

CHAMPIONSHIPS

ROUND-UP It was great to see competitors, clubs and volunteers from across our Society coming together for this prestigious event. The pandemic influenced all our lives, but we were able to get back to Lifesaving Sport at the end of 2021 for a highly successful Lifesaving Sport Challenge competition in Leeds and this was continued for the National Speed Championships in March this year.

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The event kickstarted on Saturday with the 50m manikin carry, and saw other events such as obstacles and the line throw before moving on to the Sunday session.

Sunday saw events such as the 100m manikin carry, along with the various relays.

There were some fantastic performances throughout the weekend including Thomas Leggett from Belfast Olympia who broke 4 individual records; Beacon Ladies Masters Team who broke 2 Speeds records in the Relays; and Blyth Ladies open team who broke the rope relay.

Thank you to all of the parents, supporters, coaches, team managers, officials and volunteers who attended the weekend; without you all, this fantastic event would not be possible.

Also, thanks to Scuba Dive Superstore, for their generous provision of air cylinders during the whole event, and to Signs R Us for their support.

BRANCHES

Looking ahead we now eagerly await the Lifesaving World Championships in Italy during September and October this year, along with the National Lifesaving Championships in Leeds in November.

We have also set the date for the next National Speed Championships – 11th - 12th March 2023, Ponds Forge International Sports Centre, Sheffield, so make sure you save the date!

Another great event for your diary is the Commonwealth Lifesaving Championships which will take place in Ontario, Canada between 13th - 17th September 2023.

We look forward to seeing many of you at the events in the near future!

RESULTS Scan the QR Code for all results from the National Speed Championships or visit: https:// live.lifesaving.events/

PHOTO DOWNLOAD The event was photographed by PhotoDownload.

Images are available to purchase from the website photodownload.co.uk Password: Sheffield

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NEW HORIZONS FOR RLSS UK’S COMMUNITY INFRASTRUCTURE

You may remember in December’s issue of the Lifesavers Magazine we spoke about the Consultation to better deliver the ambitions of the Strategic Framework 2020-2025.

The work has been continuing and following a two year period of consultation, the goal is to explore evolution that: a. increases RLSS UK’s footprint in a community, growing our community b. creates a sense of belonging for all RLSS UK member groups In February, there were two important kick off meetings to support the management of agreed changes.

A new pilot has been launched covering Scotland and Northumberland & Durham, providing an opportunity to try new things, explore ways of working and learn.

In addition, a virtual meeting of remaining branches was held that communicated a new purpose for RLSS UK Branches. At the meeting new branch guidance was shared and time was spent collaborating on a new planning tool, ways to increase and grow clubs, and ways to get more volunteers.

The recording of the meeting, the new guidance are both available on the RLSS UK website and we look forward to sharing details with you as we progress.

Important Dates for Branches • Run Branch AGM – 15th June 2022 • Return Branch Development Plan (covering activity in 2023) – 1st September 2022 • Return progress report (against Branch Development Plan covering activity in 2022) – 31st January 2023 All documents to support branches with their plan and AGMs can be found on the Branch hub on the RLSS UK website.

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LIFESAVERS

FEATURE

FOND MEMORIES

AND FAREWELL

ANDREA MACKOWN

FROM

After seven fantastic years with RLSS UK, Andrea Mackown is off to pastures new. Andrea has taken a look back at her time with RLSS UK and the memories that she will take with her.

“As I move on from RLSS UK, I want to share some of my personal journey, some key moments out of so many, across my seven years.

I start the story, late in 2014, at River House in Broom, in a full ‘assessment centre’ day. A presentation, an interview panel, desktop exercise, a branch scenario and finally a group exercise! More involved than I had ever experienced for a job, but I really enjoyed it, and must have impressed as ‘hey presto’ I was part of the shiny new Community Drowning Prevention Team.

A very full schedule of induction was planned for us four, including a Community Instructor course, meeting key volunteers, and media training. I particularly mention these as they all had significant impact on me. I had never experienced being in my swimsuit on an induction before(!), we were informed ‘if you get offered hair and makeup when on TV, take it’ and ‘always do what you promise” when working with volunteers. These three things set the tone for my work for the following three years; swimming pools, club and branch volunteer activity, and radio and TV interviews. Although the make-up situation never materialised for me as I was always outside, it was usually dark, wet and windy!

Perry mascot was a random idea that sprouted from a team meeting, and before long he was real. We all loved him, as did members and the public. But his movements caused much angst as he was too big for the back seat, or the boot of the car, so everything had to be laid flat before he fitted, but ‘Perry on tour’ was always worth it.

Perry is good at hiding, yes really, completely vanishing once, no one knew where he was, even search parties were created. But he was actually very safely stored in full sight at HQ, but in a delivery box, not his usual bag, after a spot of refurbishment. Over the years he has also lost his tights, a hand and a foot. Who realised an inanimate object could be so much bother, but I still love him to bits.

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FEATURE

Left: Honours 2012 Below: Monmouth Perry Mid Left:Membership hearts Mid Right: YLT in action Bottom: Conference 2018 Collage

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My working within partnerships was key to promoting RLSS UK campaigns, the most notable being the Wales Water Safety Partnership.

Three of us initially, all passionate about preventing loss of life through drowning; representing South Wales Fire and Rescue Service, RNLI and RLSS UK. This group grew and grew as we built a bigger network including police, Swim Wales, Dwr Cymru, Canals and Rivers Trust and many more. Wanting to get more formal direction, the initial members wrote a strategy for Wales, which I am proud to say was launched December 2020, and is now being actioned across that devolved nation.

In 2018 I stepped away from my regional role and took on a national remit leading the membership support staff. I had a team of 4 out across the regions, and office-based staff too. The annual conference that year allowed me to promote future aspirations, including different categories to attract new members, as well as better engagement channels. Both of these came into force in 2020, at the same time as a worldwide pandemic!

2019 saw my team out around the UK and Ireland delivering Small Talks and reaching a wider audience than our previous conferences ever had, the intentions to build on this were all planned for 2020, but ‘you know what’ happened. The next 18 months were strange for everyone, as the leisure sector just shut down, and our income and activity just stopped! Salary sacrifice, furlough, and staff redundancies to preserve the organisation all occurred. Working at home for everyone, internet telephony, and Microsoft Teams calls became the norm, and our members benefitted from online learning via their member accounts. The Protecting our Future fundraising campaign and the 24-hour CPR challenge were both designed and delivered away from the office during lockdown!

Last year as the country started to unfurl, it allowed me to again enjoy face-to-face sessions with key volunteers working collaboratively to design innovative ideas for our future volunteer infrastructure. Also, our hosting a hybrid Honours, was such a fabulous chance for me to meet many members again, I forgot how lovely it was to actually see people, to dress up and, yes, to do the hair and makeup My final reflection relates to the Youth Leadership Team, magnificently created and led by our Youth Advisor to Board. I enjoyed a face-to-face weekend of planning, fun, Christmas creations, Don’t Drink & Drown campaigning, video making and Tik Tok and Instagram uploads last November. I know this team is very actively designing their year and building their youth network. It was so inspiring working with the next RLSS UK generation who will take the reins of this great organisation.

There are so many other things to mention, I may have to write a book, but I need to stop now! Finally, I must send a huge thank you to every member, volunteer and colleague that has helped me create these memories that will always be etched in my heart. And I look forward to reading about RLSS UK’s future successes to help more people #enjoywatersafely.

Much love and hugs. Andrea x ”

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LIFESAVERS

CLUB HIGHLIGHT

A YEAR TO REMEMBER

2020 was a year to remember for many of us, with the pandemic resulting in experiences that many of us hadn’t seen before. Hannah and John WigginsBettles from Bishops Waltham Community Swimming tell how they felt back in March 2020 and their journey through the pandemic.

It seems like a lifetime ago in March 2020 when we waved off our lifesavers as we went into lockdown.

If I’m perfectly honest, I thought we’d be off for four weeks, and return after the Easter Holidays!!! How naïve I was…!

That said, I think little did any of us realise that almost 20 months later, we’d still be here talking about covid19…?

Over the summer of 2020, swimming pools were finally allowed to open, and wow were we ready to smell that glorious chlorine.

As a school pool we were slightly delayed, but raring to go (risk assessment in hand) in September 2020.

The one-way system, the coming beach ready, the rule of six… Oh it seems like a distant memory (and thank goodness!).

It’s been a rollercoaster ride as I’m sure anyone with a club will testify!

As I sit here and reflect, quite simply we could not have done it without the support and trust of our parents and lifesaving families.

Often we wonder if we’ve gotten things right as we find our way through this post-pandemic world with no map, but whenever I see our lifesavers smiles, I like to think we’ve come as close as you can get.

There’s been lots of scratching of heads as we come up with new ways to teach and practice skills, a ton of cleaning, some nervous swimmers, plenty of shouting of ‘keep your distance’… and did I mention? Soooo much cleaning!

But what a year it’s turned out to be! A lifeline for all. A teeny tiny piece of ‘normal’ (or nearly normal). Laughter. Fun. Tears.

Lifesaving!

Following a few false starts (that pesky Lockdown 2.0, and the rather vexing Christmas Lockdown) lifesaving continued at Bishop’s Waltham.

Summer brought few fresh challenges - a new still water venue had to be found, as the council were not opening the changing rooms of our usual lake.

But, this turned out to be a positive, with great feedback on the new location a return trip is already in the pipeline for next year!

And with the assistance of our friends at Gosport And Fareham Inshore Lifeboat Service (GAFIRS) we even made our annual pilgrimage to the beach, albeit with a few covid related changes!

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The year has culminated in seven of our lifesavers achieving their Distinction Awards, and a lovely presentation evening by Jill Bailey – Ambassador for the South Region.

John and I are so very proud of all of our lifesavers, those that had the courage to come back to the pool during these uncertain times, those that stepped up to help teach so we could re-open, those that show up each week without fail, the glue that keeps our family together, and those that have achieved their own personal goals.

A huge well done to you all, and thank you for making lifesaving that little bit of normal for everyone each week.

RESEARCH

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RLSS UK PART OF A

Key Findings

SWIMMING POOL

• Findings follow research by virologists at Imperial College London, led by Professor Wendy Barclay. The study revealed that swimming pool water can inactivate the Covid-19 virus in just 30 seconds under the right conditions. The findings, which have been published in a peer-reviewed journal, suggest the risk of transmission of COVID-19 in swimming pool water is incredibly low.

STUDY ON HOW

WATER INACTIVATES

COVID-19 VIRUS

IN 30 SECONDS When swimming pools were closed in 2019 due to COVID-19 restrictions, RLSS UK worked closely with Water Babies, Swim England, and Spatex Foundation to support the industry and conduct research on the effect chlorinated water had on COVID-19. Our Pool Plant Advisor, Ian Ogilvie, also supported the project. The study was by virologists at Imperial College London, which was commissioned

by Water Babies, Spatex Foundation and Swim England.

• The presence of chlorine in water, under the right conditions, can inactivate the virus that causes Covid-19 in just 30 seconds.

Founder of Water Babies, Paul Thompson said: “We are excited about these findings as we restart our classes and welcome back families, little ones and customers to indoor swimming pools across the country. It has been fantastic to work closely with Professor Barclay and her team at Imperial College and collaborate with leading bodies Swim England and RLSS UK on this world-leading research.

We know swimming has multiple benefits for physical and mental health for both children and adults of all ages and we’re looking forward to our lessons restarting.”

The study into swimming pool water was undertaken by leading virologist and expert in respiratory viruses, Professor Wendy Barclay, together with research associate Dr Jonathan Brown and research technician Maya Moshe from Imperial College London and project managed by Alex Blackwell, Head of Pools and Facilities from Water Babies.

The collaborative study looked at the effects of swimming pool water on the virus that causes COVID-19, named SARS-CoV-2, to assess the amount of time and contact needed to inactivate the virus in varying chlorine and pH levels. The research established that 1.5mg per litre of free chlorine with a pH between 7-7.2 reduced the infectivity of the virus by more than 1000 fold within 30 seconds.

Additional testing of different free chlorine and pH ranges confirmed that chlorine in swimming pool water was more effective with a lower pH. This is in line with current guidance for swimming pool operation.

The research was also supported by Swim England, the national governing body for swimming in England and RLSS UK. Professor Wendy Barclay, Imperial College, explained: “We performed these experiments at our high containment laboratories in London. Under these safe conditions, we are able to measure the ability of the virus to infect cells, which is the first step in its transmission. By mixing the virus with swimming pool water, delivered to us by the Water Babies team, we could show that the virus does not survive in swimming pool water: it was no longer infectious. That, coupled with the huge dilution factor of virus that might find its way into a swimming pool from an infected person, suggests the chance of contracting Covid-19 from swimming pool water is negligible.”

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LIFESAVERS

RESCUES

EVERYDAY HER ES: Rescue round-up It takes a special person to see someone, sometimes a complete stranger, in need of help and to step in and make a valuable difference to that person’s life. Hearing about our everyday heroes is something that can never fail to make you feel proud of those associated with RLSS UK and the heroic lengths they will go to when assisting someone in trouble.

RLSS UK’s ‘everyday heroes’ is an ongoing theme across multiple platforms, that seeks to applaud lifeguards and lifesavers who, through training, common sense, instinct or guidance, affect a successful rescue, with no risk to their own life, or that of others.

Trevor Mackown, Barnstaple, North Devon

November 2021:

Trevor Mackown, an RLSS UK Community Instructor and Life Support 3 award holder with the charity, used his life saving skills to assist a colleague who collapsed whilst at work.

Trevor works as a General Assistant in the online shopping team in a supermarket and in November last year, after returning from the loading bays, His colleague Joanne said she did not feel well and made her way to get some air and, on her way out collapsed. Luckily, Trevor was not too far away, and did not hesitate to help. Trevor assessed Joanne and on realising she was not breathing, started chest compressions.

Thanks to Trevor’s quick thinking and his training, he directed a colleague to collect the AED and to call 999 whilst he sustained the compressions. Joanne then gasped for breath, however, her breathing remained very shallow. Trevor continued to monitor her condition until the paramedics arrived. After a few days in the hospital, Joanne recovered and was cleared to return to work thanks to Trevor’s quick actions.

August 2021:

Hi5 Beale Park, Reading

During an open swim session at Hi 5 Beale Park, Reading, swimmer Jill Allen, who is a member of the National Open Water Coaching Association (NOWCA), suffered a medical episode and became unconscious whilst in the lake.

Lifeguard Polly Cranfield was working on the lake as part of the water rescue team and spotted Jill in trouble. Polly jumped from her paddleboard and managed to keep Jill’s head above water before being joined by Oliver Spence, who was also in the lake at the time. Oliver was then able to bring Jill back to shore where Andrew Lewis, Events Director at Hi5, began CPR and called the emergency services.

Shortly after, Angela Spence, a local GP and swimmer, and Francis Burrows, another NOWCA member who had been swimming in the lake, were able to monitor Jill, who was still unconscious but now breathing.

Jill was taken to hospital by paramedics and was able to make a full recovery and gave her thanks to the team.

HELP US LAUD THE LIFESAVERS! Share your stories: www.rlss.org.uk/rlss-uk-report-a-rescue

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RESCUES

February 2022: Oswestry

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Leisure Centre

Six lifeguards at Oswestry Leisure Centre were called into action midday in February as a man was in difficulty in the water.

After spotting the man unconscious in the water, on-duty lifeguard Tim Bridgewood along with a swimmer had managed to get the man out of the pool and Tim started CPR. Stand-in Duty Officer that day, Phil Nixon, ran onto the pool from reception with the AED as Lifeguard Ashley Thirby-Roberts took over with CPR and Chloe Williams called the emergency services.

The AED analysed the man and gave instructions to shock so Phil carried out the instructions and over the next 20-30 minutes the man started to respond, initially with groans, then hand squeezes, and finally able to give his name and where he was from.

Chloe, with the help of Cooper Lock and Lauren Humphries, began removing spectators from the scene, and shortly after paramedics arrived to treat the man.

Thanks to the quick-thinking actions of Tim Bridgewood (25), Chloe Williams (25), Philip Nixon (61), Cooper Lock (17), Lauren Humphries (18), and Ashley ThirbyRoberts (18), the rescued man was breathing and talking as he was transferred to hospital where he is making a good recovery.

August 2021: Hermione

Cosser, Ghana

Eighteen-year-old Hermione Cosser, from Somerset, found herself drawing on her skills learnt during her RLSS UK training to help a lady in need.

Hermione was on a trip to Ghana as part of an internship with her friend. One weekend Hermione was visiting Boti Falls when she noticed that a lady was in distress as she had fallen over a branch and injured herself. Hermione realised the lady had quite a deep wound on her shin and those with her were dressing the wound with banana leaves.

Despite the language barrier, Hermione managed to assist her by using a first aid kit which she carried with her. She was able to calm the lady and assess the situation, and gathered further information.

Hermione said: “If I hadn’t had all the training and practise through lifesaving, I wouldn’t have known what to do in that situation and felt so confident in what I was doing.”

After washing the wound, Hermione realised that although it was not bleeding too badly, no pressure could be applied because of how deep and open the wound was. Using a sterile bandage Hermione dressed the wound and then assisted the lady back to the waiting area and advised her that she would need to seek help at a hospital as the wound would most likely require stitches.

Jason Meredith & Nikita Hawkins, Swansea Marina

October 2021:

Jason Meredith, 30, and his partner Nikita Hawkins, 24, from Swansea were walking along Swansea Marina at around 10pm when they saw two males in the water.

Jason and Nikita noticed that the two men, one in their 30s and the second in their 40s, were struggling in the river Tawe which runs through the marina in Swansea.

Jason and Nikita acted quickly, and despite not previously having any training on how to rescue someone from the water, were able to use the life rings on the marina edge to help rescue the two men.

The couple were successful in helping get the men out of the water and ensuring their safety. Nikita then rang the emergency services who attended the scene and took one of the men to hospital for further assessment.

Without the quick thinking of both Jason and Nikita, one or both of the men could have drowned that evening.

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LIFESAVERS

CLUBS

NEWFS IN ACTION

LAUNCHES

AWARD

SCHEME FOR DOGS & OWNERS

Newfs In Action, is a Newfoundland dog club formed to enable the breed to undertake the activities that they were bred for; raise funds for charity; and promote the water safety messages of the Royal Life Saving Society UK. The Newfoundland dog originated from the island of Newfoundland on the east coast of Canada. They were bred with thick double layer coats to protect them from the elements and were strong and sturdy. Their semi-webbed feet made them great swimmers, and it was thought unlucky for a fishing boat to leave without a Newfoundland on board. The dogs were famous for trawling in the fishing nets, saving fishermen who fell in the water, and hauling the fish to market in carts.

Newfs In Action has been promoting RLSS UK’s messages for 11 years, and when Covid-19 hit and all displays were cancelled the team decided to re-think their training, and look for ways to build the future displays and make them even better.

As a result, a new award scheme was designed.

The purpose of the awards is to encourage Newfoundland dog owners to work in partnership with their dog to affect rescues (for demonstration purposes), in line with the rescue principles of RLSS UK. Each rescue is designed to be something that could be used in a display to help spread water safety messaging.

By the time the team reach the Gold Award, the standard is expected to be excellent, and they have to perform the following three display items, explaining to the ‘assessor’, as they would the crowd, what they are doing and why: Item 1: Working in partnership, demonstrate a rescue item, which will teach members of the public about one of the following: 1) Never swim alone

3) Be safe in the sun

2) Don’t drink & drown 4) Runners and Walkers Awareness Campaign Item 2: Working in partnership; demonstrate the rescue of 3 casualties, up to two rescue aids may be used Item 3: Working in partnership demonstrate the rescue of an unconscious casualty During the 2021 season a fantastic 23 awards have been taken and passed, with three dogs attaining the gold award. Each award also attracts a £1 donation to RLSS UK. The three dogs who have achieved the gold standard are:

There are three levels of awards, and these are designed to be progressive in nature:

Barnaby Bartholomew – 10 years of age

Bronze – to show a competent rescue Silver – to show an efficient rescue Gold – to display an excellent standard of rescue

Marilyn Scott – 5 Years of age

There is no prescribed method of undertaking the rescue, so the owner and dog can work together and play to the strengths of the team.

Miss Dior Payne – 7 years of age It is hoped that other clubs will adopt these awards and support in the same way financially. As we move into 2022 and find some normality the team will be back out on display – showing these great rescues and display items, and teaching the water safety messages and saving lives.

Club Chairman Philip Payne said “I am really proud of the way the entire club has embraced these awards. Owners and dogs have worked incredibly hard all year both in the pool and in the lake to achieve great results. My thanks must go to Mandy Govier of the White Orchid canine hydrotherapy pool and to The Gatton Park Trust for allowing us to use their venues. I have also been really delighted by the support that we have received from the RLSS UK with these awards, and I hope many more dogs and owners will enjoy them – together by reaching different audiences, we can turn bystanders into lifesavers and have a safer society.

Water activities are on the rise, and rightly so - we all have a part to play in making sure everyone is educated about how to respect and enjoy the water, and I am committed as are all of Newfs in Action to playing a big part in this.”

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MEMBER FEATURE

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SUPERSTAR ROOKIE LIFEGUARD HEATHER Heather Bryson, aged nine from Scotland, is a Rookie Lifeguard and after being inspired by Sir Captain Tom Moore and Joe Wicks, decided to help those who were lonely during the festive period. She provided an intergenerational lifeline with exercise classes for people living with disabilities and her rec-cycling projects.

During lockdown Heather created Lockdown Crafts by H and found focus in re-cycling pre-loved cups and saucers into bird feeders, and broken necklaces into Little Lockdown Angels, which she then sold and donated profits to dementia services.

Heather did all of this with a smile on her face despite experiencing her own challenges such as moving school, fracturing her arm and the loss of family members. Through Heather’s efforts, the local community where Heather lives pulled together to share her crafts to have a positive impact on the environment, wildlife and local community in the tough times of the pandemic.

Heather is a prime example of how age shouldn’t be a barrier and her achievements are clear to see with the awards she has received including: Glasgow Evening Times Individual Award (youngest ever recipient); Anderson McGuire Hero’s Award (youngest ever recipient); Good Morning Britain Young Loneliness Award; and most recently this year, the UK Prime Minister’s Point of Light Award.

Heather has received recognition from various cross party Government sources and several MPs and MSPs have written letters of congratulations to her. There was even a Motion raised in the Scottish Parliament on 12th January 2021 acknowledging Heather’s achievements and she was invited to Parliament earlier this year.

Looking forward, Heather now plans to bring the generations together for an event to celebrate the Queen’s Jubilee and will host another exercise class event for people all over the world with the aim of the project in Heather’s words to ‘raise smiles’ and plans to continue her work around raising awareness of water safety.

Huge congratulations to you Heather for your fantastic efforts and for making such a difference.

It didn’t stop there with Heather. She had dreams of becoming a YouTuber and thought she could pair this desire with doing something which would help people all around the globe.

After taking exercise classes in her Grandmother’s care home, Heather, with the help of her parents, decided to provide exercise classes for care home residents, care home providers, as well as individuals. As part of the Sir Captain Tom 100 Challenge in June 2021, she saw 160 global care homes take part in her live chair exercise sessions and says she loves to be able to see people smiling every day.

Heather was nominated for Good Morning Britain’s 1 Million Minutes Young Loneliness Hero Award and in January she received a message from Joe Wicks to congratulate her for being crowned the winner. Heather’s classes reached as far as New Zealand in a bid to tackle the issue of loneliness during the Christmas period.

The 1 Million Minutes campaign was organised by Good Morning Britain to highlight that there are more than 1 million older people who are chronically lonely. Yet it only takes a minute to make someone’s day.

Christmas and New Year is one of the loneliest times for older people and the campaign asked people to pledge just 30 minutes of their time to help an older person.

Heather certainly did that and more as she gave up her Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and lots of her holidays to deliver food parcels and gifts to vulnerable and isolated people in her community.

In light of a number of drownings in Scotland in summer 2021, Heather wanted to promote water safety more widely. When lockdown hit, she was just two classes away from becoming a qualified RLSS UK Rookie Lifeguard, a great achievement when aged just seven. Heather has now gained her speciality and masters award with us and continues to work to encourage the younger generations to learn First Aid and water safety skills.

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LIFESAVERS

FUNDRAISING

DID YOU KNOW ABOUT THE

FUNDRAISING C H A L L E N G E S YOU CAN TAKE PART IN FOR RLSS UK?

As part of our fundraising efforts to raise money for RLSS UK to ensure that we are able to help everyone enjoy water safely, you can take part in a number of challenges to raise money for us.

From our new challenge for 2022 – Make a Splash – to a number of extreme challenges, to even building your own challenge we can support you with it all!

Extreme Challenges RLSS UK has teamed up with Endeavours Adventures to give fundraisers the opportunity to raise money for us whilst taking on some exciting challenges! Whether that might be trekking to Everest base camp, completing a wing walk, or trekking Machu Picchu, RLSS UK would be proud to support your achievements and help you fundraise for the charity along the way. www.rlss.org.uk/extreme-challenges

Cycling Challenges Throughout 2022 there are a number of cycling events throughout the UK of varying distances for you to take part in whilst raising money for RLSS UK. So if cycling is what you love, or you fancy trying something new, this could be the challenge for you! www.rlss.org.uk/sign-up-for-a-cycling-race

Charity Skydive RLSS UK has partnered with Go Skydive, Salisbury, organisers of sponsored charity jumps to offer you the opportunity to experience an adrenaline rush like no other. If you would like to see what it feels like flying through the sky then this is the perfect challenge for you, it certainly won’t be an experience you forget. www.rlss.org.uk/sign-up-for-a-skydive

Run a Marathon From virtual races to in-person events, we have marathon events for you. There are numerous marathons throughout the year and across the globe that you can take part in. Whether you’re a marathon novice, you’re looking to complete your 10th marathon, or everything else in between, we’d love for you to fundraise for RLSS UK! www.rlss.org.uk/sign-up-for-a-marathon

Build your own Challenge If you have your own idea on fundraising for RLSS UK we would love to hear from you. If you want to challenge yourself to do something a little out of the ordinary and fundraise for us at the same time then there are so many opportunities. Some ideas include a sponsored car wash, dance marathon, sports day, football match, golf day, the list really is endless! www.rlss.org.uk/forms/build-your-own-challenge

How we help Anyone who fundraises for RLSS UK can receive: - Free fundraising pack with everything to get you started - Freebies including a branded t-shirt - Race entry (event depending) - Sponsorship forms - Top tips for fundraising success

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Take on your fundraising challenge in 2022 and help support RLSS UK to ensure everyone can enjoy water safely. www.rlss.org.uk/fundraise

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HELP US TO

www.rlss.org.uk/make-a-splash You can take on a great challenge and raise money for charity with RLSS UK’s Make a Splash challenge.

Want to be the best version of yourself, physically and mentally?

Prepare to smash your own personal goals whilst helping everyone across the UK enjoy water safely.

Complete the Make a Splash challenge in a location, timescale and manner that suits you! Whether you choose to swim, canoe, or stand up paddleboard (SUP), we will offer full support throughout your challenge and keep you motivated. Simply choose the distance and complete the challenge your way.

10 km / 400 lengths · 25 km / 1000 lengths 50 km / 2000 lengths · 100 km / 4000 lengths When you register, you will receive a swim hat in the post along with a booklet full of tips and support to achieve the challenge. When you have completed the challenge, you will receive a medal and certificate celebrating your success!

Don’t forget, we have a wealth of water safety advice, so if you need any tips for open water swimming or SUP, we have the information you need to help you stay safe during your challenge.

You are three simple steps away from achieving your goal!

Step One

Step Two

Step Three

Sign up to participate in RLSS UK’s Make a Splash challenge and choose a goal suitable for you.

Email us at fundraising@rlss.org.uk and you will receive a free swimming hat in the post along with fundraising materials to help you reach your fundraising goal.

Once you have reached your target, submit your evidence for your Make a Splash challenge.

www.rlss.org.uk/event/ sign-up-to-make-a-splash Start your challenge in a pool or at an open water venue and achieve a new you in 2022!

Set up a fundraising page www.rlss.org.uk/Pages/Fundraisers Download your social media graphics – www.rlss.org.uk/make-a-splashsocial-media-templates

www.rlss.org.uk/forms/submit-yourmake-a-splash-evidence Congratulations! You will be sent your medal and certificate in the post.

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LIFESAVERS

FUNDRAISING

SEND AN eCard

Show someone you care by sending one of our RLSS UK cards and, if you choose an e-gift card, you’ll also work with us to be environmentally responsible. Your contribution will help our invaluable work - enabling everyone to enjoy water safely.

We have partnered up with makingadifference.cards where you can send 3D personalised cards:

Share a smile this year by following these simple steps: 1. Follow this link https://makingadifference. cards/supporting/royal-lifesaving-society-uk 2. Choose your design, personalise your card, add a message, video or photo

3. Preview your card and click continue when you are happy with your design

5. Your recipient(s) will receive an email with their special 3D card

4. Make a donation, you will be taken to a secure donation page

BENEFITS BOOST FOR YOU AND RLSS UK!

Always trying to do our very best for our members, partners and supporters, here we take a look at two ways you can save money AND help RLSS UK at the same time.

SHOPPING MADE ‘SMILES’ BETTER There can’t be many people on the planet who haven’t at least heard of Amazon, but what you might not know is how easy they’ve made it to shop AND donate to the Royal Life Saving Society UK, just like you do already with RLSS Direct.

“Signing up to AmazonSmile is an absolute no-brainer; it doesn’t cost me anything and every little bit adds up. It really is such an easy way to raise money and support RLSS UK. “Everyone I know seems to use Amazon and Amazon Smile is exactly the same. I’ve even been asking my family and friends to set it up too.”

Jenna Bennett, RLSS UK’s Fundraising and Events Executive.

What is AmazonSmile?

AmazonSmile is a simple and automatic way for you to support a charity of your choice every time you shop, at no cost to you. AmazonSmile is available at smile.amazon.co.uk on your web browser and can be activated in the Amazon Shopping App for iOS and Android phones. When you shop with AmazonSmile, you’ll find the same great choice and prices, with the added bonus that AmazonSmile will donate a portion of the purchase price to your selected charity.

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Yes, you heard that correctly…

AmazonSmile will donate 0.5% of the purchase price of eligible products, to the RLSS UK. It sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it? And you’re thinking, there’s bound to be some sort of convoluted procedure to setting it up…think again.

AmazonSmile talk you through the process, how to select RLSS UK as your chosen charity, answer all your questions and showcase the good they do:

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SPORT BENEFITS Strictly for RLSS UK members only, this site is dedicated to saving you your hard-earned cash.

With household names offering great discounts on everything from grocery shopping to days out, if you’ve missed this site – you’ve already missed out.

Our Benefits Platform has many and varied offers on everything from your weekly shop, clothes and days out, through to adventure holidays.

Offers include Costa, Sports Direct, Pizza Express, Tesco, Halfords, Deliveroo, Uber Eats and even fun days out at Alton Towers.

Activate your Tahdah account, get exploring and start saving!

Sign up to our RLSS UK Charity Lottery and you could

WIN UP TO £25,000 It is a simple and fun way for you to win a nice amount of money whilst ensuring that we can continue to help future generations to enjoy water safely.

For every £1 entry we’ll allocate you a unique 6-digit number. Match three or more numbers in the right order and you could win one of our great cash prizes. If you match all six numbers, you’ll win an incredible £25,000!

You must be 16 or over to enter as it is an offence to enter a lottery under the age of 16.

For more information and to enter head to our website - www.rlss.org.uk/charity-lottery

Please note: This Lottery is open to residents of mainland Great Britain (this excludes Northern Ireland, Isle of Man and Channel Islands)

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LIFESAVERS

MEMBER BENEFITS

YOUR LEGACY IN LIFESAVING Make your FREE Will and together, we can help future generations enjoy water safely.

Last year, we were delighted to launch our FREE Will Service to members. One year on, we are delighted to share three of our members’ experience.

Do I really need a Will?

A Will is one of the most important documents you’ll ever write. It’s the only way to make sure that what you have goes to the people and the causes that you care most about. It’s how you decide what happens to your money and possessions.

If you would like to find out more about Legacy including our free Will service, please contact: Email: legacy@rlss.org.uk

Post: Gifts in Will Team RLSS UK Red Hill House 227 London Rd Worcester. WR5 2JG

HONEY LEGAL:

a strategic partner for long-term planning and peace of mind Always on the front foot when it comes to supporting its members, the Royal Life Saving Society UK (RLSS UK) is delighted to introduce its new Strategic Partner - Honey Legal.

As one of the largest specialist legal estate planning companies in England and Wales, with in excess of 45,000 customers, Honey boast a wealth of expertise dedicated to helping people secure the most viable way, to protect their family and the family home.

According to consumer review website Trustpilot, Honey is the most trusted estate planning company in the UK, and

RLSS UK SPRING / SUMMER 2022

has a five-star rating. Conscious of always doing the right thing by their customers, Honey takes their own corporate and social responsibilities very seriously: “So many of our clients are keen to see their money put to good use, both by securing a future for those they leave behind, and often, put to work for those good causes also close to their hearts,” explains Chris Millington, Head of Marketing at Honey Group.

“This altruistic approach is one we practise as an organisation, with a regular portion of our profits given to charitable works.”

Our relationship with RLSS UK came about because, we felt that there is a common purpose between RLSS UK and ourselves, with both organisations offering preventative measures to the public.

MEMBER BENEFITS

With Honey as a Strategic Partner, RLSS UK members benefit from preferential rates with Honey’s expert team.

Members can also be secure in the knowledge that RLSS UK receives a commission on any sales - directly supporting the Charity’s water safety education work.

“Strategic Partners are a proactive means of pooling skills, innovation and insight for mutual gains, in this case, benefitting our members and our charitable works,” explains Robert Gofton, RLSS UK’s Chief Executive Officer.

“We are blessed with committed members, and even in these difficult times, we want to do everything we can to repay them through the benefits we offer. Embracing Honey Legal as a Strategic Partner provides peace of mind for our members and supporters, safe in the knowledge that they are getting the best legal advice to secure the future for their loved ones.”

Based in North Shropshire, Honey’s head office hosts a 90+ strong team but acutely aware of people’s circumstances in the current Covid-19 climate, are fully

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equipped to host meetings via Skype, FaceTime and WhatsApp when required.

For more information on Honey Legal and to access RLSS UK preferential rates: Call Michael Waterfall on:

07930 406 920 Email: michael.waterfall@honeylegal.co.uk Visit: www.honeyfriends.co.uk/RLSSUK

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LIFESAVERS

MEMBER BENEFITS

TESTIMONIALS Jane Yelland

Antony Coia

Keith Bowden

Honorary RLSS UK Life Member

Secretary Open Water Rescue

1891 Life Fellow

My family have always had an involvement with RLSS UK - largely because of my father’s real love of swimming. He was very involved with RLSS UK and qualified as a trainer and, with my mother, started and ran the Brent and Harrow Lifeguard Club for many years. My younger brother and I spent many hours on the Thames doing lifeguard duty.

I am proud to say I had a bronze medallion and award of merit and worked as a lifeguard to earn money while studying to become a teacher.

My youngest brother also ran Ware Lido for a few years after retiring from his full-time job.

I started working as a lifeguard covering school and college swimming pools, while studying at Langside College Glasgow in 1997. With my passion for lifesaving and pool lifeguarding, I soon went on to become a National Pool Lifeguard Qualification (NPLQ) Trainer Assessor (TA) and Lifesaving TA.

Having lived near the sea since the age of three, it was only natural that I could swim by the age of four and my teens involved considerable swimming! I joined the local swimming club, competing in the usual galas at school, town and county levels, as well as playing water polo, and I earned my first Bronze Medallion, in 1971. During three and a half years in the Royal Navy, I competed in numerous swimming and water polo events including Inter-Services competition. Then I spent a summer season working as a lifeguard.

As an honorary RLSS UK Life Member, I contacted Honey Legal after reading about the partnership and subsequent member’s discount in Lifesavers magazine.

Having spoken with Mike, I very quickly realised that there was so much more to consider when writing up my Will. Mike wasn’t pushy at all, he was efficient, very helpful and friendly, and gave me all the information I needed over the phone, which was followed up immediately by email.

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My experience as a lifeguard has held me in good stead in my career at The Scottish Prison Service. Working in a team, assisting the public and being observant are huge parts of being a lifeguard, and these are skills I continue to use in the Prison Service. After over 23 years, I am still a qualified lifeguard and RLSS UK TA. I also teach new recruits and staff in various First Aid qualifications, as well as suicide prevention.

I am currently Secretary, Rescue Officer & Trainer Assessor with Open Water Rescue (OWR), an RLSS UK Lifeguard Unit based in Glasgow - where I volunteer in my spare time. OWR are registered on the Scottish Community Asset Register and, our duties include assisting the blue light services and government organisations with water-based incidents, and missing person searches.

Having been involved in Lifesaving for over 20 years, I have chosen to leave a gift to RLSS UK in my Will to help future generations to enjoy water safely. I feel like I am now in a financially stable position to help others in the future.

I joined the Police Force and moved from Sussex to Devon and Cornwall – again surrounded by water. I continued with swimming and water polo and became involved with Surf Lifesaving and RLSS UK - securing various qualifications in the process.

Over the years, I continued progressing with various awards and I have officiated at numerous Speeds and Championships events - including the Commonwealths. I became the City of Plymouth, Devon and Regional Competition organiser, and I was also the Vice Chair and Chair of the RLSS UK Devon Branch.

Water has played a big role in my life and that is why I have chosen to leave a gift to RLSS UK in my Will so that future generations can also enjoy water safely. It’s an added bonus that I have become one of the first 1891 Life Fellows. I’m delighted – it genuinely has made my day!

MEMBER BENEFITS

LIFESAVERS

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50

LIFESAVERS

MEMBER BENEFITS

Free with this issue of Lifesavers Magazine You may have noticed that you will have received a free copy of the Young Lifesavers magazine with this issue.

In the pull-out you will see there are lots of great activities for the young lifesavers or aspiring lifesavers amongst us.

Please feel free to share the free pull-out with any children who would benefit from finding out more about water safety and would enjoy taking on some water safety themed games. The magazine is great introduction to what children could receive if they were part of our Lifesaving Academy (5-10 years).

Plus, there’s a great giveaway too!

Lifeguard James explains importance of his job and water safety James Maginn works as a lifeguard in London and completed his NPLQ with RLSS UK. James has been working as a lifeguard for three years and recently spoke to us about the importance of his job and how raising awareness of the importance of water safety with parents is vital.

In December 2021, James was on duty at the indoor swimming pool and saw a young girl seemingly in trouble in the water as the current near the rapids in the pool tried to drag her under. James signalled to the girl, asking if she was OK and after a shake of the head, he grabbed the reach pole to assist the young girl. At this point the girl was clinging to a high-sided wall in the pool, with the armbands she was wearing hindering her attempt to hang on as they pushed her away from the side. The young girl couldn’t allow herself to let go of the wall to reach for the grab pole due to fear, and James took the decision to jump in to help rescue the girl.

The girl’s family were on the edge of the pool but had not seen the young girl get into trouble. James wanted to highlight that even though a pool may have a lifeguard, young children should always be accompanied in the pool, especially when the child requires a buoyancy aid such as armbands or a vest as they do not always prevent incidents from occurring.

James commented,

“Although armbands allow a child to learn to swim, equipment like this can become dangerous quickly if not used in the correct way or under the appropriate supervision.”

Without lifeguards like James, situations like this one could end up as a completely different story.

Remember: We offer lots of free water safety advice including advice for parents and families which can be found on the website.

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RLSS UK Lifeguard membership

CANDICE ARNOLD

RLSS UK LIFEGUARD FOR OVER 8 YEARS

For just £16* you will receive:

“

The RLSS UK Lifeguard Membership free online learning has been worth its weight in gold. It has really helped to keep my skills and knowledge up to date so that I can return to lifeguarding fully prepared and raring to go.

•

Limited edition ‘Just your everyday hero’ #lifeguard T-shirt.

•

Online Learning for Continuing Professional Development and contribution towards CPD hours required for renewal.

•

Personal Injury Insurance, Professional Indemnity and Public Liability Insurance.

•

Advice Helplines - including counselling, legal, personal tax, medical and bereavement.

•

Access to the RLSS UK Lifeguard Closed Facebook Group - a unique space for lifeguards to connect.

•

Benefits Platform - with offers on everything from clothes and days out to adventure holidays.

“

steve carter

Lifeguard and trainer for over 20 years

“

“

At just £16* a year, the RLSS UK Lifeguard Membership package offers NPLQ holders exceptional value for money, and I would recommend that all lifeguards sign up.

ANNUAL RLSS UK LIFEGUARD MEMBERSHIP IS AN ABSOLUTE STEAL AT JUST £16*.

To join our squad, log in to your RLSS UK Account, click on Membership & Clubs, then click on RLSS UK Lifeguard Membership. If you haven’t activated your RLSS UK Account, visit www.rlss.org.uk/your-account *2022 price correct at time of printing.

The Royal Life Saving Society UK (RLSS UK) is a registered charity in England and Wales (1046060) and in Scotland (SC037912)

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LIFESAVERS

LIFEGUARD,

WHO ME?

Felicity Cornelius-Mercer Felicity Cornelius-Mercer, wife of MP Johnny Mercer, admitted that she was “your head above water old lady breaststroke stereotype.”

However, she started 2022 determined (with her daughter’s encouragement) to learn how to swim properly, rounding it off with training for her National Pool Lifeguard Qualification (NPLQ).

Felicity tells us more about her personal challenge:

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“When I was growing up swimming was not on my radar. It was something that you painstakingly endured at school if you weren’t lucky enough to have an ‘off swimming’ note from your mum. Sure – I knew of Michael Phelps’ swimming prowess around Olympic times but it didn’t feature in my life beyond a bit of splashing around in the summer holidays.

“Fast forward a few decades, including a move to the West Country, and I have a nine-year-old daughter who joined a performance swimming programme (she’s now 13) and oh boy do my eyes get opened! There is a whole world of swimming out there and not just on the performance side – its joyfully accessible to all levels but also sea swimming, wild swimming, lido swimming – all sorts.

“In my decade and a half in the West Country – my life has revolved around the sea, the rivers and lakes almost every weekend. I have daughters who swim in any stretch of water and an ex-Commando husband who, like a Labrador, feels swimming in any water is compulsory. I sit for almost 20 hours a week whilst my eldest trains in a pool. I have

FEATURE

seen swimming used as a force for good – a wellknown triple amputee from Plymouth being supported on sea swims by an ex-Olympic swimmer on fundraisers and rehabilitation as a favourite example, and groups of swimmers going for their morning sea swims off the Plymouth Hoe for the pure exhilaration of sea swimming all year round.

“But still I avoided the sea, the pool and all types of swimming because for as long as I can remember I just wasn’t a good swimmer. I am your stereo-typical old lady, head above water breaststroke type. Under no circumstances do my hair or ears get wet. Not up for discussion.

No splashing please.

“So when I decided last year that I needed a 2022 goal and Amalie, my eldest, told me to stop being such an embarrassing swimmer, it struck a chord.

I always volunteer at her galas and enjoy being involved. I see how awesome she and her peers look gliding through the water but is that ever going to be me? At 41-years-old am I too set in my dry hair, dry ear ways to ever train like she does?

“And above all do I, as a swim mum of three daughters (youngest only 18-months) a wife of a politician who I like to accompany to events, a full time job and a keep fit ‘20 minutes on the Peloton is all I’ve got’ type of person, have time for a new hobby?

“Or are these just excuses? What if one day I am needed to jump in and help. With a life that revolves around water in Devon and Cornwall; I have seen my husband help two people out of the water and you read of numerous tragedies.

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“So what tipped the balance? Hearing from my neighbour that my local leisure pool was in jeopardy.

Affordable facilities that are vital for children learning to swim and the health of everyone – I needed to do my bit. And this was going to be something that I could feel good about – starting from a very low base to becoming qualified with a new life skill. Answer sorted – I had my 2022 goal.

“All these things came together and on Monday 3rd January 2022 I took myself and Amalie down to the local pool, clearly looking like I was just a new year’s resolution type, turning up for the first few weeks of the year and then never going back.

The first thing to note is doing something new with a beloved child that can swim 400 metres before I’ve even done 100 metres could be demoralising!

But never one to give up, it actually gives me the push I need.

“I am now trying to squeeze in 2-3 sessions a week and last week plucked up the courage to ring the nearest National Pool Lifeguard Qualification course. I had a lovely conversation with the course teacher who, whilst I was trying to manage his expectations of my swimming level, told me that he had never had a student fail (no pressure then!) and I would be fine. Either he is a great teacher or the course is realistically doable, or both – either way I feel good about it!

“I really hope that I won’t be his first student to fail and that I will proudly end up with my own whistle and t-shirt but either way I’m just glad that I am trying.”

We’ll be catching up with Felicity soon to hear all about how she got on with her NPLQ.

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LIFESAVERS

YOUTH

YOUR OPPORTUNITY TO GET INVOLVED BECOME A

WILL YOU BE THE NEXT

YOUTH

YOUTH

ADVISOR? The Youth Advisor role is vital in our continued success and provides the opportunity to advise the RLSS UK & Ireland board on youth related matters.

Being part of the board can be highly rewarding, challenging and enjoyable, as everyone uses their own skills and experience to support us in achieving our strategic aims. This opportunity can also provide the chance to develop personal skills.

AMBASSADOR Youth Ambassadors support the Youth Advisor to the Board, ensuring that a diverse range of young people’s perspectives influence RLSS UK & Ireland’s decision making.

Youth Ambassadors form the Youth Leadership Team and work together to raise the profile of young people, and advocate for youth engagement, development and equal opportunities, both nationally and locally.

If you are …

- able to work effectively in a team - friendly and approachable - a creative thinker - confident to share your thoughts in a group setting The Youth Ambassador role could be for you!

Monday 16th May - Applications go live Friday 10th June - Applications close

Friday 1st July - Applications go live Sunday 31st July - Applications close

To apply visit www.rlss.org.uk/youth-advisor to submit your application.

To apply visit www.rlss.org.uk/youth-ambassador to submit your application.

Embark on a voyage with the Royal Life Saving Society UK’s Youth Leadership Team to explore opportunities and map your future with the organisation. Unite with other young people to; build a community for the future, share experiences and influence change.

Learn how to lead an event in your community, gain an understanding of your current and future roles within the structure of the organisation and be inspired by others.

Two brand new in person events for 14 - 25 year olds - created by young people for young people.

Find out more via the website… www.rlss.org.uk/youth-voyage Crawley, West Sussex - Saturday 2nd July 2022 · Newcastle - Saturday 9th July 2022

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YOUTH

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Well, it seems we’re past the worst of it! It’s great to see things returning to normal post the pandemic and November 2021 saw our first in person YLT meeting since the team were appointed back in 2019.

YOUTH LEADERSHIP TEAM UPDATE

by James Cossons

The first day of the meeting was focused on reviewing what went well, what has worked and perhaps what we can improve for the next cohort of RLSS UK & Ireland Youth Ambassadors.

The Saturday night allowed for some down time and a trip in to Worcester city centre. The team organised a last minute campaign! Hundreds of Don’t Drink and Drown bands, coasters and snapbands were distributed to nearly everyone in the bar, providing much needed awareness. A challenge was set and everyone had to distribute a set amount of material, pleased to advise that I managed to pass on my materials to the very kind taxi driver who delivered us safely in to town! It really does highlight how easy it is to pass on our message, why not spread the message in a similar way in your local area?

The second day looked to the future and what the team want to achieve during their last few months together. The team are busy arranging two in person Youth Voyage events, one in Newcastle and one in Crawley, West Sussex. These will be aimed at empowering and educating the next generation of volunteers. See the advert to the left of this page and check out the website for more information.

If you haven’t already, check out our TikTok account which has lots of video content from the weekend and more. Feel free to drop the team a message with some content too!

2022 will indeed see our Youth Ambassadors term end, but will also see my term as RLSS UK Youth Advisor come to a close after four years of advising the board and leading the YLT. It’s certainly had it’s challenging moments, but overall has been a fantastic opportunity and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it. From leading the YLT,attending a Swim England youth panel meeting and the odd TV appearance, it really has been a role that has provided a wide range of excitement and insight.

Fancy stepping in to my shoes? Applications are now open for the next RLSS UK Youth Advisor! More information is included within the advert on the left hand side. . In addition, applications for the next cohort of Youth Ambassadors will open on 1st July 2022, register your interest now to be notified when applications open by emailing volunteer@rlss.org.uk.

For now, thanks to everyone for their support and guidance during my term. A special thanks to the first ever cohort of Youth Ambassadors, you’ve been absolutely brilliant and without you we couldn’t have set this up. The Youth Ambassador role was something new and I do really think we’ve created something that will inspire the next generation of volunteers and provide young people an opportunity to get more involved.

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LIFESAVERS

LIFESAVING CLUBS

LIFESAVING

CLUBS SURVIVING THE PANDEMIC

During the pandemic we understood that it was an extremely difficult time for lifesaving clubs around the country and launched a hardship grant and voucher scheme to ensure that the clubs.

Several clubs were able to apply and benefit from both the grants and voucher scheme, you can read more about how they benefitted here.

KEYNSHAM LIFESAVING CLUB

BEESLACK LIFESAVING CLUB

Keynsham Life Saving Club put in an application to receive a grant to cover the cost of facility hire and promotional activities to then allow them to build-up their members and therefore be financially self-sufficient once again.

Beeslack Lifesaving Club applied for a grant from RLSS UK to assist with the reopening of their club.

Without such grants the lifesaving club would have had to seriously consider postponing the resumption of training until September 2021.

The grant enabled the club to relaunch without any personal financial risk and without it, the club commented that they may not have had the finances to restart activities in September due to the lack of members and the implications of therefore not being able to cover pool costs.

Keynsham is now far steadier and membership numbers are increasing, allowing the club to work its way back to its thriving pre-lockdown self.

Hardship Grants:

LLANELLI SURF LIFESAVING CLUB

HULL LIFESAVING CLUB

Llanelli Surf Lifesaving Club requested a grant to help as a short-term boost to stimulate interest and encourage members to return and therefore generate a stable income, as well as purchase the appropriate cleaning materials and literature, and pay towards the pool fees.

Hull Life Saving Club applied for a grant to help with the restart of the club in September 2021.

The club feared that without the help they would face the possibility of not being able to return to the pool, as well as not being able to afford the costs associated with the COVID-19 guidelines in relation to cleaning.

The grant enabled them to pay for pool time that they would not have had the funds to cover without the grant, and also allowed them to have sessions whilst rebuilding the membership via local recruitment and promotion. Not only this, but the club was able to use some of the grant to upgrade some old equipment.

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As the club operates during school terms, they took the decision not to open before the summer as the restrictions on numbers allowed in the pool would mean it would not be a viable option for them.

The club had managed to source funding since 2013, however, due to the pandemic and parents withdrawing their children, the club’s finances were hit hard. They found themselves in the situation where they only just about had enough money to pay their club membership fee when they reopened.

The grant was used to cover costs of pool hire from September as the club had to commit to a 10-week booking.

The club also spent time encouraging children to return and the grant was able to help during this time as in the early weeks membership costs generated at the club would not have covered the overall costs.

Due to pandemic they saw a reduction in membership and an inability to recruit new members. As the club re-entered into training, they found themselves with insufficient funds to cover pool hire and fees for coaches.

Without any extra funding there were fears they would struggle to revive the club at all.

With the grant, the club had the task of beginning a recruitment drive to allow them to return to profitability.

They planned to use leads from current members, advertise on social media, link with local pools who have Rookie courses and more widely the local council sources, and they fast began networking to achieve their goal.

After losing many members due to closure, the club felt that without the grant it would not have been able to reopen when they did. The grant gave them breathing space to reset after the lockdown and the club is now recruiting new members as well as seeing old members return, meaning they are now in a more stable position.

As well as this the club were able to use the voucher scheme to purchase wipes to allow all coaches to have an individual tub of wipes to ensure that they were compliant with COVID guidelines. They also were able to purchase extra manikin lungs which meant that every club member could have a personal set of lungs.

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Voucher Scheme:

WINDSOR LIFESAVING CLUB

Purchased: Towards qualifications such as NPLQ and NRASTAC.

Impact: Helped support the training of the club’s lifeguards which would in turn help facilitate training sessions for members.

Impact: Released money usually spent on the awards to be able to fund the hire of the pool meaning the Rookie award as well as Survive and Save was delivered to young people in an inner-city area of Nottingham.

Impact: Equipment accessed by various clubs for training and used by volunteers at events.

Purchased: Torpedo buoy sleeves and whistles.awards.

Purchased: Rescue tubes.

Purchased: A torpedo buoy and sleeve as faces, lungs and wipes.

WESSEX BRANCH

Purchased: Consumables for the branch manikins such as faces, lungs and wipes.

Impact: The manikins were always ready to be used by branch members.

WELLS LIFESAVING CLUB

Purchased: Two Lifesaving Instructor packs and costs towards three Survive and Save awards.

Impact: The club was able to offset the Survive and Save candidate packs against the pool hire, meaning candidates paid for their awards, but received proportionately cheaper training sessions.

ROBIN HOOD

NORTHUMBERLAND & DURHAM BRANCH

Purchased: A number of adult lungs for their CPR manikins and first aid kit.

MANSFIELD OPEN WATER RESCUE LIFESAVING CLUB

Impact: Make use of equipment which was otherwise redundant and previously useless for their needs and each volunteer was provided with their own equipment.

KEYNSHAM LIFESAVING CLUB

Purchased: Torpedo tubes.

Impact: Allowed the club to have more stations in their Open Water sessions so they could keep the sessions COVID safe.

Impact: Allow members to practice towing while adhering to COVID guidelines and maintaining a non-contact approach.

HASTINGS & ST LEONARDS LIFESAVING CLUB

Purchased: National Vocational Beach Lifeguard Qualification (NVBLQ) assessment forms and life jackets.

Impact: New equipment ready for the 2021 season.

SOUTH WORCESTER LIFESAVING & LIFEGUARD CLUB

Purchased: Rookie materials and LS3 Assessments.

Impact: Rookies were given lanyards to record their progress.

Trainers had up to date qualifications to carry out the training.

SOUTH SHIELDS VOLUNTEER LIFEGUARD CLUB

Purchased: Manikin lungs and AED training pads.

Impact: First aid courses successfully ran with the equipment offered to their members.

DROYLSDEN LIFESAVING CLUB

Purchased: Three mini-AED trainers.

Impact: Helped run training and assessments more efficiently.

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LIFESAVERS

COMMONWEALTH

RLSS Commonwealth:

UPDATE

TRIBUTE to the MOUNTBATTEN MEDAL 2021 marked the 70th Anniversary of the Mountbatten Medal, which has honoured gallant rescues by RLSS award holders from Commonwealth nations since 1951. To mark this occasion, a booklet on the Mountbatten Medal has been produced, which includes the citations for all recipients of the award. As well as a history of the Society and forewords by our President HRH Prince Michael of Kent, and Patron of the Mountbatten Medal, Lord Ivar Mountbatten, the book also includes recollections from five of the Mountbatten Medal recipients, not only of the rescue but the impact it and the medal has had on them.

Hard copies of this booklet are available at a cost of £12 plus postage. If you’re interested in purchasing a copy, please email commonwealth@rlss.org.uk We also want to continue to add to our archive, so if you, or anyone you know has further information on the Mountbatten Medal or any of its recipients, please do get in touch.

CALLING ALL LIFESAVING SPORT FANS! The 2023 RLSS Commonwealth Lifesaving Championships will be held in Windsor, Ontario, Canada from 13th – 17th September 2023, at the Windsor International Aquatic and Training Centre.

More information to follow soon!

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EDUCATION AND CELEBRATIONS

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59

WATER SAFETY EDUCATION IN BLACKPOOL In 2021 the Beach Patrol Service at Blackpool continued to increase awareness and educate the local community about drowning prevention and water safety education.

As part of their presentation, they played a short Water Safety Education video which the Beach Patrol Service produced working alongside the Royal Life Saving Society UK’s (Lancashire and Manchester branches) last season. The team then interacted with the children delivering Water Safe Code.

The team achieved this through Beach to School and promenade presentations targeting a series of pre-arrival beach safety initiatives. The topics included cold water shock, incoming tides and sandbanks, rip currents, fast changing weather conditions and what to do in an emergency.

The initiative is a great modern way to convey key water safety messages placing significant benefits on personal safety and wellbeing aligning to national guidance on water safety.

CELEBRATIONS AT HORSHAM &

LITTLEHAMPTON

ANNUAL

PRESENTATION

EVENING

The Water Safety Education video can be viewed on YouTube.

In January 2022 Horsham Life Saving Club held its annual presentation evening and were joined by Littlehampton Life Saving Club for a joint celebration. The celebration was held at The Horsham FC clubhouse and celebrated all the achievements in 2020 and 2021.

Members of both clubs were celebrated for their achievements with guests of honour including Rt Hon Jeremy Quin MP for Horsham, Councillor Dr David Skipp Chair Horsham DC and Debbie Hunt, Deputy RLSS UK President.

MP Jeremy Quin presented cups and medals to the winners from recent competitions such as Speeds and Rookie Lifeguard event. Coun Dr David Skipp presented Outreach Certificates which recognised a considerable amount of water safety activity undertaken in the Horsham community, and also presented the Achievement Cup, which went to Abi Smith for her progress and enthusiastic involvement in all of the club activities. Deputy President of RLSS UK, Debbie Hunt, also presented a number of awards including Horsham Club Member of the Year Cup which was awarded to Sam Clark.

It’s fantastic to see so many club members being celebrated, well done to you all.

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Free £10 Water Babies Voucher

BUY AN RLSS UK Baby and Infant Membership Every child deserves the opportunity to experience the joy of the water. A safe and secure relationship with the water starts as early as possible and enables a whole world of opportunities.

Our Baby and Infant Membership provides a blend of learning and experiences that will enhance a child’s water safety journey, preparing them for a movement into our practical water safety lessons as they grow and develop.

Visit www.rlss.org.uk/baby-and-infant to secure their membership now.

For just £10 a year, your little bundle of joy will receive: •

A welcome gift, including £10 Water Babies voucher to spend on products and our unique pack of milestone cards

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Ongoing, technically researched water safety and infant CPR advice, guidance and tips

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Vouchers and offers to support their development and swimming journey

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Annual water safety activity pack

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Access to a free, annual online baby and infant CPR lesson

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Bi-annual E-Magazine