With the recent school holidays and warm weather, the need for us to educate everyone to stay safe in, on or around water becomes even more important. The hours, days and months of training and volunteering you all do is amazing, we can never know the number of lives you save, but every piece of training, advice or rescue you perform will have an impact. Thank you.
It was lovely to see and meet friends old and new at the conference, our first since 2018. The initial feedback has been amazing. This would not have happened without the many hours of planning by our staff team and, on your behalf, I have thanked all the staff for their input.
Branches were invited to send two members, and my ask is that those Branches that didn’t attend look at why not, and those that did, to look at who they sent. The society needs new people to become engaged at this level.
The resignation of four trustees is always sad; their reasons are their own. I thank Sally, Alan, James and Andrea for their contribution and wish them well.
A huge thank you to Ian Hutchings and Mark Smith for filling the vacancies for four months. You will be pleased to know their experience and expertise have been put to good use.
The candidates for the Trustee vacancies are in the magazine. On this occasion, the Board has asked for very specific skills, and I urge you to read the candidate profiles very carefully and cast your votes wisely. These are the people who will guide the society for the next three years.
Once again, a huge thanks for all you do to save lives.
Yours in lifesaving,
Deborah Hunt President RLSS, in the UK and Ireland
What an incredible few months it’s been! Here are some of my personal highlights.
The launch of Gen 10 is significant for many reasons but primarily because of the use of academic research we commissioned to ensure our award is the best in the world. The ground-breaking work on developing a new scanning technique to replace 10:20 cannot be underestimated. This work replaces something that lifeguards have been taught and used since the 1970s. Its replacement, Natural Scan:20, is currently only available in our NPLQ Gen 10. This symbolises our commitment to lead new innovations and techniques to improve lifeguarding. Plus, it is the only level 3 lifeguard award available and attracts UCAS points!
I also want to highlight the excellent work, driven by more research, to produce the UK’s first-ever National Drowning Report, authored by us, commissioned by the Water Safety All Party Parliamentary Group and supported by the National Water Safety Forum. It demonstrates our commitment to working collaboratively to reduce drownings. The ground-breaking report gives us real focus for our education plans. The report was launched at a Westminster event, and I also attended an event co-hosted by the Black Swimmers Association and 10 Downing Street on World Drowning Prevention Day.
Finally, I want to say a huge thank you to everyone involved with Drowning Prevention Week. Our educational messages reached over 1.85m children and its success was down to the combined efforts of our volunteers and the leisure sector. 1.85m children are now safer, in, on or near water. But still too many children are leaving school without swimming or water-based educational skills. Through our partnership with the National Child Mortality Database, we now know that drowning does discriminate against children from disadvantaged backgrounds and particularly those from the Black and Asian communities, who are statistically more likely to drown. This is why we are so passionate about trying to ensure every child is taught water safety as part of the curriculum.
I could have picked out countless more examples of where the society is leading the field and I hope you are as proud to be part of RLSS UK as I am.
Robert
We are proud to announce we have been UKAS accredited as ISO 14001 compliant.
We are committed to our environmental responsibilities, and our 2020 five-year strategy included steps to become carbon neutral as a key goal and thread through all of our activities.
ISO 14001 specifies the requirements for an environmental management system that an organisation can use to enhance its environmental performance. It is intended for use by an organisation seeking to manage its environmental responsibilities in a systematic way, contributing to the environmental pillar of sustainability.
RLSS UK Chief Executive Officer, Robert Gofton, led the project.
He said: “Setting our ambitions to reducing the organisation’s impact on the environment firmly in our strategy led us to consider implementing an environmental management system to help us achieve our aim.
“As a charity, we are committed to becoming carbon neutral and are particularly concerned about the issue of microplastics in water. We’re taking steps to minimise and eventually eliminate singleuse plastics throughout our organisation.”
On 26 April, CEO Robert Gofton, attended the launch of Speedo Swim United and Active Black Country’s new programme which looks to bring pop-up pools to schools in the UK.
The launch followed statistics highlighting nearly one in three children leave primary school unable to swim in the UK.
Swim stars, Adam Peaty, Ellie Simmonds and Michael Gunning also attended the launch. The new programme will be implemented in regions of the country worst effected by low swimming. The initiative will provide an intervention to the issue, whilst also creating pathways back to local leisure centres.
The programme aimed to provide up to 1,000 pupils with an additional four hours of swimming per week over a four month period.
Robert attended on behalf of RLSS UK to show the charity’s absolute commitment to the programme to ensure that all children have the opportunity to enjoy water safely.
It is with heavy hearts that we share the news of the passing of Honorary Lifetime Member, Dave Cook. Our thoughts and deepest condolences go out to his family and friends.
Dave was a wonderful character and ran the Hitchin Lifesaving Club for many years as well as being a very active teacher, instructor, assessor, helping other clubs and participating in many branch and regional events. Dave will be missed greatly by those who knew him and all of the lifesaving community at RLSS UK.
MP for Salford and Eccles Rebecca Long Bailey visited the Salford Community Leisure’s Helly Hansen Watersports Centre on Salford Quays in April, to help highlight issues around water safety and promote water safety education. The MP said, “Devastatingly, over the last few years, lives have tragically been lost in the waters at Salford Quays.
RLSS UK has installed a defibrillator at its Headquarters in Worcester.
The Mayor, Councillor, Adrian Gregson and RLSS UK Charity Director, Lee Heard officially unveiled the defibrillator in April, which is formally registered on The Circuit, a network of public-access defibrillators designed to save lives in emergencies.
“We are thrilled to have this new defibrillator installed at our Headquarters,” said Nick Grazier, Senior Head of Commercial Projects & Partnerships. RLSS UK is passionate about keeping the public safe; this device will give people in our local community an added level of comfort, knowing it is available in an emergency.”
Alison Allard first became involved with lifesaving when she joined Hemel Hempstead Lifesaving Club at 15 years old as a way to meet new friends, keep fit and learn new skills. During her time at the club Alison earned the prestigious RLSS UK Bronze Medallion and her passion for lifesaving grew from there. Alison then progressed with her career and trained to be a nurse and in December 2022 she was awarded the title of Queen’s Nurse and has now been a nurse for over 42 years.
Recently, Alison has expanded her skills and involvement with lifesaving as she has written a children’s book which includes elements of water safety.
Alison’s book Big Life for a Little Leaf has been illustrated by Wendy Manly and can be purchased on Amazon.
I thank the Royal Life Saving Society UK and its volunteers, in providing free water safety education to our community. This is vital for informing the many people who visit the Quays each year of the dangers open waters present, especially during the hot summer months.
We are delighted to share with you details of who is standing for election this year.
During my term of office as President, we introduced the concept of ‘one person, one vote’ to enable members to participate in the governance of the Society. The process of every member having a vote has been in place for six years. Following last year’s elections, the board decided to take another look at the way the process of voting was being managed. While we acknowledge the growth of social media has many benefits, we are mindful that social media could be more optimal for good communication. We have listened to feedback from candidates and observed comments made through the recent elections. This year, we decided to make minor changes to how candidates can put themselves forward for election and for their skills to be matched to the skills the board collectively believes they need of future candidates. Those candidates meeting the skills required have been nominated for your consideration. We are delighted to present this year’s candidates, and we invite you to choose who you think will make an effective trustee of our society.
Three vacancies for Trustees could be filled by the candidates below
We have one vacancy for Deputy President which could be filled by one of the below applicants. The successful applicant will become President in 2025.
Full details about the elections, with resolutions, candidate profiles and the AGM, are available at www.rlss.org.uk/elections-2023
Voting opens on Thursday 5 October and closes on Thursday 26 October at 5pm.
Please look out for your voting details, they will be shared by UK Engage (our independent election provider) via the email address no-reply@ukevote.uk. Before chasing your voting email please ensure your membership is in date and check your junk/ spam folders. Please direct any queries to elections@rlss.org.uk
Your vote really does make a difference. By casting your vote, you can help us to appoint a board of trustees who represent you and continue to nurture our influence and activities across the whole of the UK and Ireland.
We want to hear your voice - have your say on who becomes an RLSS UK Trustee and the Deputy President.
We have learned that some people were confused with the multiple-vote option, and some only voted once. Consequently, we have changed the voting system to be first past the post; we have sought to simplify our elections to remain focused on what is best for the Society.
Results of the elections will be announced on Saturday 28 October at our Annual General Meeting (AGM). This will take place 4 - 5 pm at Coombe Abbey Hotel, Coventry, after the annual Honours ceremony.
Further details about attendance are on the RLSS UK website. For those wishing to attend in person, no booking is required. A virtual format will also be available via the RLSS UK website, to allow virtual access for all members and observers who cannot attend in person.
www.rlss.org.uk/elections-2023
General queries regarding the AGM should be directed to elections@rlss.org.uk
1. To receive and approve the minutes of the last Annual General Meeting held on Saturday 15 October 2022 at Coombe Abbey, Coventry.
2. To receive the Trustee Board’s Report and Accounts for the period 1 January 2022 to 31 December 2022.
3. To appoint RSM UK Audit LLP as the auditors for RLSS UK for 2023.
4. To authorise the Trustees to set the level of the auditor’s fees for 2023.
5. To receive the results of the Trustee election.
6. To receive the results of the voting on seven Special resolutions and subsequent changes to the articles.
Details of all of the resolutions and official notice of AGM are available in full on our website.
Our work lobbying Government never stops and this year we continued our efforts in a bid to get classroom-based water safety education on the curriculum to ensure that all children have access to water safety education.
We are working with our Patron Lord Storey after he put in a Water Safety (Curriculum) Bill in June 2022. The Bill went through its second reading in the House of Lords in May of this year and we are hopeful that it continues through the process within the House of Lords before beginning the stages in the House of Commons.
During this time, we wanted to ensure as many people as possible were aware of the Bill and we created a series of graphics, seen below, to share across social media to give people an understanding of the Bill and its importance.
During this year we also attended a number of All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) meetings where we met with members of the group at Westminster to ensure water safety education stays high on the agenda within Government. In July the Annual General Meeting (AGM) for the APPG took place and we were delighted that the Water Safety APPG is set to continue for another year. At the AGM it was announced that current Chair and MP for Clacton Giles Watling, will remain as Chair for another year. Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi MP, Stephen Metcalfe MP, Lord Storey, and Alison Thewliss MP were all re-elected as officers.
We saw a number of MPs engaging with our campaigns throughout the year, including Rob Butler MP, who spoke at an Adjournment debate in the House of Commons in July, on the subject of ‘Water Safety and Drowning Prevention’. He referenced the National Drowning Report and Drowning Prevention Week and encouraged Government to address the issue of the increase of child drownings and ensure that all children receive water safety education at school.
Our Political Intern Chaima Akroum completed her time with RLSS UK, where she did a fantastic job engaging with MPs, and has since secured a role as a Bluebook Trainee at the European Commission in Brussels; specifically working in the Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations. We would like to thank Chaima for her dedication and hard work during her internship and we wish her all the best for the future.
Scan the QR code to read more about the water safety (curriculum) bill
The inaugural report from the Water Safety All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) authored by RLSS UK and supported by the National Water Safety Forum (NWSF), was launched on 21 June at Westminster.
The launch event, sponsored by TWF (The Wetsuit Factory), was attended by over 20 MPs, including: The Speaker of the House of Commons, The Rt Hon Sir Lindsay Hoyle; Lord Addington; Baroness Bottomley; and Rob Butler MP for Aylesbury who gave an account from a member of his constituency Stephanie Williams about her daughter Sunnah, who tragically lost her life in May this year.
Former professional swimmer and Speedo Ambassador, Michael Gunning was also present and spoke about his experiences within the industry. Water Safety APPG chair Giles Watling MP opened the launch event to his colleagues at Westminster.
The report has provided a real picture of accidental drownings in the UK and uses data from the Water Incident Database (WAID) as well as other robust data sources to provide the UK Government with evidence backed data on why the approach to drowning prevention needs to be improved.
Headline findings from the report included:
• There was a 46% increase in the number of accidental fatalities amongst children, compared to the 5-year average.
• 19 people lost their lives across four consecutive days in July as UK temperatures reached record highs.
• 151 accidental fatalities occurred in England, the highest of all the UK nations.
• Scotland and Wales had the highest accidental fatality rate, more than double that of England.
• 83% of accidental fatalities were male.
• 60% of accidental fatalities occurred inland.
• In summer 2022, there were 40% more accidental fatalities inland than on the coast.
• 26% accidental fatalities were under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol.
At the event, RLSS UK’s Lee Heard, Charity Director, and Nichola Baldwin, Research and Insights Manager, presented the report findings and highlighted the importance of educating everyone on water safety.
Lee said: “This report presents the current picture of UK drowning as analysed from 2022, and also identifies trends in relation to data over a five-year period. Progress is being made across the UK, however, the report clearly shows that we need enhanced Government involvement to collectively progress to deliver the current targets set by the NWSF, Water Safety Wales (WSW) and Water Safety Scotland (WSS).
“We are grateful to the great number of MPs who attended the launch event in June and we look forward to working with the UK Government to deliver the report’s recommendations which include innovative solutions to better deliver school swimming; mandating that every child should have a class-based water safety lesson at each key stage; and investing in initiatives to address the increase in child drowning fatalities.”
every child should have a class-based water safety lesson at each key stage
“We are Jude (16), Sophia (15) and Olivia (16). We joined Littlehampton Wave Lifesaving Club over four years ago. Since then, our lifesaving journey has developed with our volunteering experience, and we’ve loved every minute of it.
We all joined the club for the same reason; when we turned 16, we wanted to complete our National Pool Lifeguard Qualification (NPLQ), and thought it might help us to prepare for that. This definitely came true, and it has taught us so much over the years, for the NLPQ, and more. However, what we didn’t realise at the time was all the other support and opportunities we would gain through the club.
We have volunteered at many different events, gaining hours towards the William Henry Award. At outreach events we spend our time spreading the word of water safety and the benefits of being a member of our lifesaving club. Living close to the sea and the River Arun, we know that raising awareness in the community about water safety, could save lives. This is one of the many reasons (admittedly another of which includes watching Jude dress up in our Norman
costume), that we volunteer at events. We help to set up promotional stands, talk to potential new members, and hear people’s stories. We take it in turns to dress up as the club mascot, Norman the Newfie, for which Sophia completed a voluntary sponsored abseil to raise the money to buy.
As a club we have loads of fun during training nights and special events, which support the community and raise awareness, but also allow us to have fun at the same time. For example, we have a special Red Nose Comic Relief event each year, this year we had a Coronation crown competition, a pancake race, and we took part in local street carnivals. We also represented the club at Remembrance Day.
As some of the senior club members, we are (for reasons we cannot understand) seen as role models for the younger, newer members. We offer advice to help them to improve their skills as we watch them learn the same things we now know. During our journey with the lifesaving club two of us have now become old enough to train to be RLSS UK Instructors. This involved attending a course, followed by a number of hours training and assessing others in order to
become instructors. Doing this training course enables us to volunteer and teach others as we have been taught, therefore ‘paying on’ the time volunteers have put into us. In addition, this has given us the opportunity to develop leadership skills, communications skills, and confidence. It also looks amazing on our CVs!
Our work with the club hasn’t always been easy. Covid lockdowns presented challenges, but also opportunities, as we worked with David Slade (lead instructor and club founder) to explore the online world of communication to continue volunteering for our club. For example, partly to keep fitness levels up and partly to continue to increase awareness, Olivia, supported by our club, completed a sponsored ‘run the channel’ to raise money and awareness for the lifesaving cause.
Giving our time and energy to Littlehampton Life Saving Club and to the wider world of water safety has enabled us to develop as a group and increase our team working skills. We have competed in various team competitions and achieved some fantastic results. To name just a few, Sophia and Jude came first in last year’s Sussex Junior Mixed Competition. Sophia and another member (Tassia) came second in last year’s regionals, and Olivia and another member (Jack) came first in the Sussex RLSS UK mixed pairs.
This was all thanks to volunteers like David and the amazing way he has taught us. The inspiration he has given us has meant we are all now keen and actively working to continue
to develop our own skills so that we can help younger members compete for some of the same awards.
To celebrate and honour the competitions we have entered and the volunteer work we have committed to, we have won many other awards. Olivia won an RLSS UK Honour in 2021 and Jude and Sophia are due to be presented with one this year. Sophia has also won 2022’s Young Personality of the Year for Littlehampton, with Jude also commended, the Arun Rotary Young Personality Award 2022 and the RLSS UK Ken White Trophy. None of us imagined we could achieve all of this when we joined the club four years ago and they could not have been achieved without giving our time to outreach activities, supporting the club with raising funds and helping with newer members of the club.
We have been helped so much by other volunteers giving their time and efforts, and we are enjoying the opportunity to develop our own volunteering more through being instructors for future members so that we, and them, can continue spreading the word of water safety in our local area.
Being a member of the club and taking on volunteering roles has been immensely enjoyable. Feeling that you are giving something back to the community and potentially helping to save lives is a great feeling to have. It has enabled us to meet and work with people from different backgrounds, different ages and with different attitudes. It has also given us membership of a caring community group who we are so proud to represent.”
If you’re interested in volunteering for RLSS UK visit: www.rlss.org.uk/volunteer
...we are all now keen and actively working to continue to develop our own skills so that we can help younger members
Back in January, we were delighted to re-launch our William Henry Award which recognises the contributions of our brilliant volunteers. We have been thrilled with the response and to date, there have been over 4,255 hours submitted! Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to log their volunteering so far – we absolutely love hearing about your work that makes a huge difference. Here are some stand-out stories from our volunteers over the last six months…
BHAVIK BAROCHIA helped to organise and host the filming for Professor Greg Whyte’s Whyte Water challenge which promoted water safety education and raised funds for RLSS UK.
TERRY DRAYCOTT provided voluntary First Aid cover at the annual Sri Thurkkai Amman Temple Festival in Beeston, raising awareness of RLSS UK among the 400+ visitors.
ISABEL JONES volunteered at the National Speed Lifesaving Championships and helped to raise £1,400 for the charity by selling programmes and spectator tickets.
If you are not currently involved in the William Henry Award and would like to be, it’s really easy to take part. All you need is an RLSS UK account (which can be created online, for free) - and you don’t even need to be a member!
JUDE MORRIS and members of the Littlehampton Wave Life Saving Club surprised Sainsbury’s shoppers when they turned up with club mascot Norman the Newfie! They collected £170 worth of food for their local food bank whilst helping to raise awareness of RLSS UK.
If you’d like to find out more about the William Henry Award or volunteering for RLSS UK, please visit our website. www.rlss.org.uk
To start submitting your volunteer hours, simply log in to your account and click onto the ‘My Details’ tab where you will find a link to the ‘William Henry Award’. Here you will find the form to complete with details of your time spent volunteering. Please provide as much detail as possible and include photos so that we can share your activities and inspire others to volunteer for us too.
Awards are given at the following milestones:
Hours Award
25 Certificate
50 Certificate + Blue Milestone Pin Badge
100 Certificate + Red Milestone Pin Badge
250 Certificate + Yellow Milestone Pin Badge
500 Certificate + Bronze Milestone Pin Badge
750 Certificate + Silver Milestone Pin Badge
1000 Certificate + Gold Milestone Pin Badge
43 of our amazing volunteers have already achieved milestones and received their awards so congratulations to you all!
To ensure effective and efficient operations we need a mix of volunteers to:
• Provide safety cover: lifeguards, kayakers, powerboat helms, first aiders
• Provide welfare support: cater for the crew, look after kit and general welfare support
At times volunteers are based on the land, at other times on the water but, you will never be asked to perform a task you are not trained to do. Wherever possible, training will be organised to support your development.
Each event is different; if you are signed up to join the team, you will be given detailed instructions explaining the role and support you can expect. Volunteers for these events must be over 18.
You won’t be expected to carry out your lifeguarding duties for the entire event, so our volunteers also get opportunities to relax, enjoy being a spectator at competitions or soak up the festival atmosphere!
RLSS UK provides water safety and rescue services at a wide range of open water events and is committed to providing high-quality, effective water safety and rescue services, that make the best use of our fully qualified volunteers.
We’ve already worked at many fantastic events this year including:
• Henley Regatta
• Secret Garden Party
• Wilderness Festival
• Riverside Festival
• Lost Village
We have more events coming up later this year and into 2024. We’d love you to get involved and experience the benefits of volunteering at these great events.
Remember, you can add your volunteering hours to your William Henry Award total.
“I’m known as the ‘water baby’ of the family. Swimming has always been a part of my life and I believe that everyone should have equal access to learn to swim, whatever their background and disability. Swimming and water-related activities help with so much more than our physical health. They help build confidence, teach people skills, help with team building and improve our mental wellbeing. I don’t know where I’d be without swimming, especially outdoor swimming, and for the past three years lifeguarding too, which has provided me with some amazing opportunities and ultimately led me to RLSS UK.
My previous work has largely been around customer service but with varied roles within charities and non-profit organisations. Recently this has focused on educating people on cold water swimming to enable people to do this safely throughout the winter months.
I am relishing the opportunities I have been given with my role at RLSS UK and seized opportunities of furthering my volunteering work as an Open Water Lifeguard (OWL) by helping at swim events and festivals this summer. I also love to challenge myself with endurance swims and so far, this summer have taken part in the Great North Swim, Coniston end to end, and Swimathon (5km).
It is so important that we continue to educate people, young and old, on how to stay safe in the water so that all can enjoy the benefits that this can provide throughout life.”
Volunteering as a lifeguard will provide you with some many great experiences and I have made so many great friends through it. It’s free, all it takes is your time.
– Georgina Tomlinson, volunteer
Congratulations to all our swimmers, you can view the full results and photographs from the day on the RLSS UK website: www.rlss.org.uk/owf
1600m (sponsored by dryrobe)
Sponsored by
Following several successful events in rural Worcestershire and Warwickshire, we were delighted to bring our annual Open Water Festival to South Yorkshire for 2023.
The event took place on Sunday 4 June in the beautiful setting of Manvers Lake and attracted a fantastic number of participants who were welcomed to the festival site with an RLSS UK goody bag and swim hat.
The day’s line-up consisted of four swim events, ranging from 200m to 1600m in distance, plus a Rookie Splash for little ones to enjoy a dip in the lake too. The warm-ups were led by none other than Sian Richardson and the Bluetits who were entertaining and empowering in equal measure!
On the water’s edge were some amazing stallholders including Andrea Hall Design, Shellen Face Painting, Sam’s Army Sweets and Wild Moose clothing, plus a fantastic raffle which was made possible thanks to the generous businesses who support us.
Further along the lakeside, we were also pleased to have the Manvers Lake-Bears with us all day doing water-rescue demonstrations with their beautiful Newfoundland dogs.
400m (sponsored by Swim Secure)
On behalf of everyone at RLSS UK, we’d like to extend a huge thank you to everyone who came along to swim, spectate and support us - especially our brilliant volunteers and lifeguards. All funds raised on the day will help us continue our efforts in educating everyone to enjoy water safely. We hope to see you all next time!
marked the tenth consecutive year that RLSS UK’s Drowning Prevention Week took place and over the years the campaign has grown and reached more people, with 2023 being no different.
You may remember last year we created an animation with some characters to talk about the campaign. This year the characters, plus some more, returned for a brand-new animation to share the Water Safety Code. The animation was shared far and wide across social media as well as in schools and leisure centres and you will see from the stats on this page just how many people we reached.
Many of you shared our messages across social media during the week and we are always trying to find new ways of reaching new audiences to spread our messages about water safety. Through targeted adverts across social media we were able to reach 1.8m accounts, potentially an incredible number of people educated.
We also saw a fantastic level of engagement within schools this year with children both in primary and secondary schools learning about water safety and our free resources helped educate 585,000 children.
Not only this but the leisure sector amplified its support this year and we saw so many brilliant sessions taking place within leisure centres, educating 1.3m children. We would like to say a huge thank you to each and every one of you for making such a difference.
Our free resources for schools and leisure centres were used to educate an estimated 1.85m+ children in water safety.
We know many of you were also out and about speaking to members of the public during the week, as well as fundraising as part of the campaign. Without your help spreading messages about water safety it would be extremely difficult to reach as many people as we do. We are forever grateful to our clubs, branches, volunteers, and partners for consistently supporting Drowning Prevention Week each year.
We want to say a huge thank you for once again supporting Drowning Prevention Week and for ensuring even more families and young people have the knowledge they need to stay safe in and around water.
Members of the Tynemouth Volunteer Life Brigade (TVLB) taught young people in North Tyneside and Newcastle the importance of knowing the Water Safety Code as part of Drowning Prevention Week.
TVLB have been taking part in Drowning Prevention week for the last eight years and have provided talks and presentations to over 15,000 students. This year the team of volunteers visited 11 schools and engaged with 2,384 young people, a record for a single year.
GLL
GLL, the UK’s largest public swimming pools operator and swimming lessons provider, delivered water safety lessons and information to over 200,000 children during learn to swim lessons as part of its substantial support for the campaign.
Thank you, GLL!
Aqua Park Group
In three of their locations the Aqua Park group ran two hour double dip sessions in aid of Drowning Prevention Week. They sold 26 tickets and raised a total of £442.
Thank you Aqua Park Group!
Parkwood Leisure 48 sites across Parkwood Leisure took part in activities for Drowning Prevention Week reaching a total of 87,183 young people. Activities included school assemblies, colouring in and spot the difference activities, creating water safety displays, and posting on social media.
Thank you Parkwood Leisure!
Remember, water safety education never stops and it’s time to get planning for 2024…
Participating in this water safety project to become a Water Smart School has been a real positive experience. The pupils’ knowledge has improved, and they are now more water smart!
Burlish Park Primary School, Stourport-on-Severn
We are pleased to announce after a successful pilot that we have now launched the RLSS UK Water Smart Schools award!
Water Smart Schools is a new water safety education initiative exclusively by RLSS UK and has been designed for schools to help their students develop water safety skills for life in the classroom environment.
Several schools have already successfully taken part in the pilot and now have the Water Smart School title.
Drowning is currently one of the leading causes of child trauma-related deaths in the UK and is largely avoidable through education and positive experiences around water. Sadly, access to swimming tuition and water safety skills education differs across the UK and there is often disparity for those from low-income and ethnically diverse family groups.
The Water Smart Schools accreditation aims to improve this by providing schools with a framework and all necessary resources to facilitate this vital learning.
Andy Lane, Education Manager at RLSS UK said, “With flexibility at the heart of the initiative; we are proud that the Water Smart Schools programme can be applied to any learning environment including further education and SEND settings. It is fantastic to see schools’ enthusiasm and ensuring children who attend the school have the vital water safety knowledge needed to stay safe in and around water.”
“As a school we really enjoyed taking part in the RLSS UK awards. It gave children of all ages from nursery to year 6 the opportunity to work collaboratively. The resources were engaging and easy to use and the children can now confidently talk about water safety.”
St. Leonards C of E School, Bridgnorth
“All our teachers felt this was a really fabulous programme with really good resources and engaging lessons. Thank you for all your support and hard work in getting this out to schools, it really is an important life lesson for all our children and one that often sadly gets missed.”
Barford St Peter’s School, Warwick
visit
To find out more about the Water Smart School Award programme visit: www.rlss.org.uk/water-smart-schools
On average 73 people lose their lives each year through a substance-related drowning and every year RLSS UK staff, partners, and volunteers carry out activities and events in towns and cities that have demonstrated a particularly high number of alcoholrelated drownings.
Don’t Drink and Drown particularly targets individuals to be responsible for their friends if they have had too much to drink; helping them to return home safely.
During September’s campaign, with help from our army of volunteers and partners we worked with universities, bars and clubs around the UK and Ireland to provide safety advice to students and encouraged them to Be a Mate as they began their university journey.
We saw some fantastic work on the ground at events as well as online sharing our vital messages and we want to thank everyone who participated in the campaign.
With the countdown to Christmas now on, we look ahead to December’s campaign, and we will be once again working with all of our partners and volunteers to ensure that everyone can enjoy the festivities safely.
This month, 28 October, we will be celebrating the annual Royal Life Saving Society UK’s Honours Ceremony and we cannot wait to welcome all of our fantastic award winners and their guests to Coombe Abbey in Coventry.
Members, volunteers, and the lifesaving community will come together to celebrate the fantastic achievements of individuals from across the charity.
Those who are set to receive honours for 2023 include:
East Wales
Nick Roberts
Hull & East Yorkshire
William Bur nett
Kent
Cavell Burchell
Deborah Hunt
Northumberland & Durham
Maureen Harrison
Wessex
Jill Bailey
Elaine Lewis
RLSS UK Service Honour RECOGNITION OF SERVICE
Derbyshire
Sandra Massey
Kent
Christopher Deering
Lincolnshire
Mary Clark MBE
Lynne Holmes
Liverpool & District
Lynn Billingham
North & West Yorkshire
Louise Quimby-Wells-Collins
Northumberland & Durham
Anne Thewlis
Staffordshire
Dawn Cherrington
Wessex
Patricia Tarry
Lancashire
Sydney Holt
Eileen Walsh
Liverpool & District
Douglas Leech
Manchester & District
David Columbine
North & West Yorkshire
Joanne Chadwick
Northumberland & Durham
Zelah Weedy
Nottinghamshire
Nigel Buck
Scotland West
Derek Hall
Scottish Eastern
James Hay
Staffordshire
Marcia Scott
Philip Butler
Suffolk
David Pearsons
Wessex
Penny Fry
RLSS UK Merit Honour YOUNG LIFESAVER
Avon & North Wiltshire
Summer Meek
Derbyshire
Heather Watson
East Wales
Kieran Down
Kate Doughty
Hull & East Yorkshire
Annie Fairburn
Isle of Wight
Ethan Tanner-Rolf
Kent
Cheyenne Goldsmith
Liverpool & District
Amelia Burnett
Mid Yorkshire
Madison Toddington
North & West Yorkshire
Phillipa Bromley
Northumberland & Durham
Eloise Dickerson Weedy
Tia MacPherson
Scottish Eastern
Abbie O’Malley
Scottish Northern
Siân McWalter
Somerset
Elliot Beckingham
Hannah Wainer
Surrey
Benjamin Snelling
Sussex
Sophia Hendey
Wessex
Holly Cameron
Worcestershire & Herefordshire
Clara Forson
RLSS UK Merit Honour MEDAL OF HONOUR
Cornwall
Lorraine Buttery
Northumberland & Durham
Michele Weedy
Scottish Northern
Murray Robb
Somerset
Alan Sutherland
Herefordshire
Teresa Myatt
RLSS UK Merit Honour MEDAL OF DISTINCTION
Kent
Emma Fishman
Frances Payne
Victoria Wilkinson
Lincolnshire
Maurice Kilmister
Northumberland & Durham
Daniel Arkley
George Lee
Aileen Robson
Scotland West
Antony Coia
Edward McGowan
Mark McKay
Ian Sinclair
Staffordshire
David Horton
Sussex
Trudie Peel
Lee Wright
BAR TO MEDAL OF DISTINCTION
Kent
Andrew Fooks
Liverpool & District
David Williams
Northumberland & Durham
Pamela Sharp
Linda Taylor
Zelah Weedy
Gillian Wilkinson
Staffordshire
Ruth Martin
Jane Spindler
Wessex
Mark Shakles
RLSS UK Merit Honour CERTIFICATE OF RECOGNITION
Derbyshire
Kate Blake
Calum Briggs
Kevin Mosley
RLSS UK Merit Honour CERTIFICATE OF RECOGNITION
Kent
Julie Bardoe
Sheila Butcher
Rosemary Davies
Cheyenne Goldsmith
Deborah Kasper
Denise McWilliams
George Payne
Christopher Willson
Liverpool & District
Stuart Ainscough
North & West Yorkshire
Chris Groom
Helen Treen
Northumberland & Durham
Richard Ludlow
Anne Thewlis
Lauren Carroll
Republic of Ireland
Ronan Larkin
Scotland West
Jim Anderson
Duncan Evans
James Gallacher
Iona Halford
Georgina Howells
Alistair Jardine
Susan Pearson
Catherine Perrett
Lynne Sinclair
Rachel Taylor
Staffordshire
Margaret Crawley
Peter Halifax
Nicola Harper
Sussex
Frederick Cooke
Thames Valley
Bhavik Barochia
Anthony Kershaw
Peter Webb
Wessex
John Humphreys
Nicholas Sparrowhawk
West Wales
Richard Butler
Jacqueline Orrells
Worcestershire & Herefordshire
Natasha Lane
RLSS UK Merit Honour CERTIFICATE OF MERIT
Derbyshire
Rita Cummins
Molly Emerton
Richard Hallam
Freddie Postlethwaite
Joe Scurrah
Heather Watson
Devon
Robert Gofton
Essex
William Westbrooke
Liverpool & District
Julie Hill
North & West Yorkshire
Cathy Sedgwick
Northumberland & Durham
Alison Bell
Amanda Carr
Keith Carr
Beth Chandler
Cadie Chandler
Joanne Chandler
Mark Chandler
Eloise Dickerson Weedy
Isadore Dickerson Weedy
David Elliott
Lauren Gordon
Clare Kay
Tia MacPherson
Nicola Mowbray
Derrick Stephenson
Louise Stephenson
Scotland West
David Donaldson
Gordon Gray
Clark MacSephney
Scottish Eastern
Julia Ellison
Somerset
Luca DeGregorio
Kieran Doorbar
Staffordshire
Alice Doorbar
Adrian McDowell
Michelle Rollinson
Suffolk
Neve Maguire
Amelia Pearce
Adam Rust
Caroline Rust
Surrey
Charlotte Conway
Sussex
Hadley Bourner
Sam Clark
Cassie Dibley
Sophia Hendey
Jude Morris
Amy Saunters
Wessex
Ethan Fox
Amelia Percival
Ethan Pilley
Amanda Wise-Hall
West Wales
Gareth Abbott-Haigh
Sue Christopher
Worcestershire & Herefordshire
Daisy Brooks
Megan Clifford
Ellen Forson
Georgina Forson
Rosie Forson
Jasper Harding
Benjamin Harper
James Inett
Rebecca Leahey
RLSS UK Service Honour 2ND BAR TO SERVICE CROSS
Essex
John Ballard
Simon Hatfield
Alan Thompson
Jersey
Richard Flambard
Kent
Andrew Griggs
Tina Smith
Martyn Steers
Liverpool & District
Warren Riley
Northern Ireland
Michael McCartan
Northumberland & Durham
Linda Taylor
Michele Weedy
Joseph Welsh
Staffordshire
Jane Spindler
West Wales
Mark Davies
Worcestershire & Herefordshire
Tracy Seewoosaha
RLSS UK Service Honour 1ST BAR TO SERVICE CROSS
Essex
Graham Hardy
Kent
Neil Morgan
Leicestershire & Rutland
Mark Smith
Northumberland & Durham
Pamela Sharp
Gillian Wilkinson
Scottish Eastern
Michael Gregge
Staffordshire
Teresa Guest
Shropshire
Steve Carter
Sussex
Richard Divers
Kate Hall
Warwickshire
Marian Yates
Wessex
David Fry
Christopher Grant
West Wales
Mark Davies
Avon & N Wiltshire
David Fielding
Hertfordshire
Tanya Bartram
Stuart Clewlow
John London
Jersey
Alan Le Pavoux
Marcel Morin
Kent
Martin Fossey
North & West Yorkshire
Cathy Sedgwick
Northern Ireland
Helen Lawson
Michelle McCartan
Rhianna Rooney
Northumberland & Durham
Brett McIntyre
Aileen Robson
Gillian Wilkinson
Republic of Ireland
Ronan Larkin
Scottish Eastern
Michael Gregge
Staffordshire
Margaret Crawley
Louise Johnson
Wessex
Luke Daruvalla
West Wales
Richard Butler
Richard Kedward
Jacqueline Orrells
RLSS UK Service Honour BAR TO SERVICE MEDAL
Derbyshire
Suzanne Selway
Essex
Sarah Scotchmer
Isle of Man
Pieter de Bruin
Isle of Wight
Mark Birch
Kent
Neil Morgan
North & West Yorkshire
Helen Treen
Northamptonshire
Oliver Coleman
Northumberland & Durham
Daniel Arkley
Brett McIntyre
Staffordshire
Lucy Cawley
Suffolk
Sarah Pawsey
Sussex Bryan Lopez
Wessex
Peter Byford
Simon Moore
West Wales
Richard Butler
RLSS UK Service Honour SERVICE MEDAL
Derbyshire
Jonathan Bridgewood
East Wales
Charlotte Bracchi
Essex
Daniel Blacklock
Stephen Cook
Christopher Luff
Emma Paramor
Ewen Wilson
Kent
Norman Leech
Lancashire
Thomas Wilding
Liverpool & District
Liam Potts
Manchester & District
Toby Shepherd
North & West Yorkshire
Mark Campbell
Northumberland & Durham
Lauren Carroll
Helen Treen
Somerset
Kathryn W illiams
Staffordshire
Bridget Chambers
Adrian McDowell
Sussex
Trudie Peel
Thames Valley
Keith Crothers
Anthony Kershaw
Wessex
Richard Brady
Andrew Burton
Tim Harris
Emily-Jo Hines-Dedman
Martin Traves
Melanie Yates
West Wales
Sue Christopher
Worcestershire & Herefordshire
Luke Haines
Simone Inett
Abigail Jones
Andrew Uncles
RLSS UK Service Honour CERTIFICATE OF THANKS
Avon & N Wiltshire
Trevor Cruse
Beth Stephens
Derbyshire
Katherine Gartside
Matthew Kenworthy
Kate Waterfall
Devon
Sarah Barrett
East Wales
Kieran Down
Essex
Edward Ballard
Rhys Collings
Kennedy Gorrie
Hertfordshire
Mary Baldwin
Jersey
Sarah Gordon
Kent
Cheyenne Goldsmith
Camilla Golledge
Caroline Holder
Michael Sadler
Donna Thomas
Pippa Verge
Liverpool & District
Keith Jump
Emma Serventi
Manchester & District
Gary Shepherd
Honours 2023
North & West Yorkshire
Jacob Cawood
Rebecca Davies
Joanne Dewire
Oscar Dewire
Lily Firm
Oliver Furby
Victoria Greenwood
Emily Jones
Emilia Partridge
Lucinda Partridge
Laura Purcell
Ellie Wilson
Luke Worth
Northern Ireland
Laura McCann
Alex McCartan
Calum McTeer
Anna Moore
Karen Moore
Kate Moore
Yvonne Smyth
Northumberland & Durham
Liz Appleby
Martyn Barnes
Alison Bell
Samantha Carpenter
Keith Carr
Amanda Carr
Rachel Carroll
Joanne Chandler
Mark Chandler
Beth Chandler
Eloise Dickerson Weedy
Isadore Dickerson Weedy
Andrew Evans
Lauren Gordon
Richard Ludlow
Alfred Meeson
Jessica Parker
Glenn Robson
Jacob Screeton
Derick Stephenson
Louise Stephenson
Carole Storey
Nottinghamshire
Kevin Rowland
Scotland West
Saoirse Coia
Scott Graham
Jill Jamieson
Somerset
Andrew Begley
Adam Lane
Staffordshire
Sam Charlesworth
Kieran Doorbar
Molly Kerin
Eva Lounds
Adrian McDowell
Ryan Tait
Sussex
Hadley Bourner
Holly Curtis
George Hall
Warwickshire
Matthew Billings
Wessex
Janine Churchill
Benjamin Churchill
James Clarke
Karen Fletcher
Adrian Fountain
Michael Gibbs
Emily-Jo Hines-Dedman
Michelle Knight
Julie Larner
Nathan Mansbridge
David Naish
Ian Tautz
Jenny Wiltshire
West Wales
Steven Allen
Kathryn Hopkins
Worcestershire & Herefordshire
Abbie Baylis
The Royal Life Saving Society UK Honours event will take place on 28 October, 2023. The ceremony will commence at 12.30pm with the AGM following the ceremony.
The ceremony takes place at Coombe Abbey, Brinklow Road, Binley, Coventry, CV3 2AB.
If you are an Honours recipient and have already booked your place to attend but would like to purchase a ticket for a guest you can do so by scanning the QR code. Guest tickets are priced at £25 per person.
to all recipients and a huge thank you to those who have worked so hard to bring everyone together for this year’s Honours ceremony. We look forward to welcoming you all later this month.
LIFESAVERS // Autumn 2023
RLSS UK is proud to have worked with Laerdal Medical, one of the world leaders in healthcare simulation, education, and resuscitation training, for decades. The strong relationship allows us to share feedback from Trainers, Instructors and Operators to help Laerdal enhance and develop equipment. It’s always exciting to see new equipment, especially when you have been involved in testing and feedback.
This summer, we saw the launch of the next generation of stackable Little Anne QCPR training manikins, as well as a new and innovative Automated External Defibrillator (AED) training device, and both new innovations are available from the RLSS UK Shop now!
The latest generation Little Anne takes CPR classroom setup and training experiences to the next level with a simple yet sophisticated design that makes everything easier and more efficient. The new Little Anne is QCPR enabled and built with the expected durability of Little Anne, all while six manikins can stack inside the travel case! Plus - the new design uses recycled plastics to reduce C02 impact.
Key features:
• Universal design
• QCPR enabled
• Classroom-friendly
• Pre-set scenarios
• Language options
• Made with recycled materials
• Future-proof
• LINK compatible
Designed to represent the typical AED use experience, the AED Trainer helps build basic competency in using an AED device as part of more efficient BLS, First Aid, and Community CPR programs. Simple enough for bystanders and powerful enough for professionals, the hand-held device can be used for stand-alone AED training or as part of CPR scenarios integrated with the QCPR app.
• Key features
• Universal design
• QCPR enabled
• Classroom-friendly
• Pre-set scenarios
• Language options
• Made with recycled materials
• Future-proof
• LINK compatible
We have traditional pathways that people tend to take, either following others or due to encouragement from their employers or clubs - such as Lifesaving, Lifesaving Sport, National Pool Lifeguard Qualification (NPLQ) through to National Trainer Assessor. Still, we have embarked on a journey to understand if people would consider other qualifications and if promoting pathways to encourage people to do more and stay longer with RLSS UK would work.
The opportunities are endless, with 27 Lifesaving Awards, 24 Non-regulated qualifications and 10 Regulated qualifications!
Abbiee Scott-Cook tells us how she went from almost drowning as a young child to becoming a qualified lifeguard.
When Abbiee was three years old, she was on holiday with her family in Fuerteventura when she almost drowned but was rescued by her older brother. Upon return from their holiday, Abbiee’s mum signed her up for swimming lessons. Abbiee progressed well and eventually began swimming competitively with Bridlington Swimming Club.
Abbiee completed her Rookie Lifeguard qualification at ten years old, and when she turned 16, she began her swim teacher qualifications before taking her National Pool Lifeguard Qualification (NPLQ) just a year later. Abbiee then completed her National Vocational Beach Lifeguard Qualification (NVBLQ) and worked as a beach lifeguard for a few summers in Bridlington.
Abbiee continued working her way through her swimming teacher qualifications as well as her management qualifications, completing her RLSS UK Trainer Assessor (TA) qualification in 2021.
Abbiee said, “I’ve always loved the water; all my family are swimmers. Even when I was young you would always find me in the pool. I always loved the thought of being able to save people; it gave me my own little superpower.
“I have many stories about my experience in both beach and pool. One rescue story which stands out was from when I was working as a pool lifeguard on a late shift; I’d only been lifeguarding for around two weeks at the time. It was 8.30pm, and the pool was fairly busy, with around 35 customers for an adult only swim.
“A lady started to suffer with an epileptic seizure at the far side of the pool. I quickly sprang into action, blowing my three whistles, sounding the alarm and diving into the pool to where the lady was fitting. I turned her over keeping her stable enough, to keep her head out of the water. After a
minute or two, she stopped fitting and myself, and my colleagues, were able to get her out onto the poolside safely. The lady’s brother was very grateful that I had acted professionally and was there to save his sister’s life. The gentleman explained his sister suffers from regular fits, and had a stressful day at work, and she thought swimming would relieve the pressure, so she could relax. We were lucky that the customers had used a pool which is lifeguarded, otherwise the outcome might not have been as positive.”
Abbiee’s passion for lifesaving is clear as she now works as a TA as well as a Duty Manager for East Riding Leisure.
“I really enjoy being part of a great team of hardworking members of staff, I love the thought of protecting others and preventing situations from occurring. If a situation did occur ,it’s great to know that I am able to apply the correct first aid and also promote recovery.
“I really enjoy being able to pass on my knowledge and experience to others, helping to train them to maybe one day save someone’s life.”
Abbiee and her team recently supported RLSS UK’s Drowning Prevention Week at the leisure centre, Abbiee said, “We put loads of posters up around the site and got our children in our mainstream lessons learning the importance of water safety by using games, to enable it to be a fun way of learning.
“In our schools, we promoted the importance of water safety, handing out leaflets with important information regarding drowning prevention.”
NPLQ Gen 10 launched on Tuesday 4 July, and in the first week alone, over 1,500 Trainer Assessors (TAs) completed the TA Update!
NPLQ Gen 10 includes the outcomes from research (conducted over the last five years, working with the University of Chichester), shaping, and developing the content of the NPLQ and focusing on the effectiveness of methods for scanning and supervision and including the impact of training and intervention.
Scan here for developments in NPLQ Gen 10
All NPLQ Trainer Assessors must complete the NPLQ Gen 10 Update by 31 December 2023; those that do not; will not be a qualified NPLQ Trainer Assessor from 1 January 2024.
After 1 January 2024, NPLQ Generation 9 will no longer be available; from this date, all courses and assessments MUST follow NPLQ Gen 10 guidelines.
Can’t praise the changes enough, more so that the reduction in slides allows more time for toolbox work and general discussion, which kept the candidates engaged throughout.
Martyn Ullah, Trainer Assessor, The Centre, Everyone Active
If you already deliver RLSS UK qualifications or awards, delivering RLSS UK first aid qualifications also can streamline your processes and provide consistency with course content and course management. There is also the option to add first aid bolt-ons to your NPLQ qualifications. All you need to do is upskill to Level 3 Award in Education and Training (or equivalent) and ensure you hold a prerequisite. When becoming an RLSS UK First Aid Trainer Assessor (TA) will also allow you to deliver the very popular combined first aid qualifications that have been launched recently, the Combined Paediatric First Aid (PFA) & First Aid at Work (FAW) and Combined Emergency Paediatric First Aid (EPFA) & Emergency First Aid at Work (EFAW). It has never been a better time to become a RLSS UK First Aid Trainer Assessor.
To find out how to become an RLSS UK First Aid TA, visit www.rlss.org.uk/become-a-first-aid-trainer-assessor
In April this year, a new FREE Online Training Platform for Approved Training Centres and Providers (ATC/Ps) was launched, which is available via the Approved Training Centre and Provider (ATC/P) Account within their RLSS UK Account (powered by tahdah).
This platform helps operators monitor and manage lifeguards’ ongoing training, along with all other RLSS UK qualifications and awards. It helps to inform line managers when their staff RLSS UK qualifications expire efficiently and effectively.
Continuously improving, the development team has already added more functionality by adding the option for NRASTC and NPLQ Gen 10.
The previous Ongoing and Training Competency website will be turned off (as scheduled) on 31 December 2023; all ATC/ATPs should transition to the new system before this date.
www.rlss.org.uk/ongoing-training-platform
Q. Can I conduct an NPLQ Gen 10 assessment without completing the Gen 10 TA Update?
A. No, to ensure you are entirely up to date with the changes, you must complete your NPLQ Gen 10 TA Update before delivering or assessing a Gen 10 NPLQ assessment.
Q. Can a Generation 9 Probationary Trainer Assessor (PTA) assess a Gen 10 assessment if they have completed the Gen 10 TA Update?
A. Yes, if the PTA has completed the Gen 10 TA Update; however, the Mentor must have also completed their Gen 10 Update.
Q. Can I complete online CPDs again if I completed them for my last renewal?
A. RLSS UK has a number of online CPDs, available in your RLSS UK Account. Most of them are valid for two years, after which you can complete them again. Although the CPD tile may show it has been completed, the system will allow you to complete it again and issue an updated certificate, as the previous certificate will have expired.
Q. Can an RLSS UK National Vocational Beach Lifeguard Qualification (NVBLQ) TA deliver the RLSS UK Open Water Lifeguard (OWL) qualification?
A. Fully qualified RLSS UK NVBLQ TAs will find an online opportunity to deliver the RLSS UK Open Water Lifeguard (OWL) qualification in their RLSS UK Account.
RLSS UK and GLL collaborate with Lynxight to trial new Assisted Lifeguard Technology, revolutionising pool safety in the UK.
RLSS UK, the UK’s leading swimming pool water safety organisation, and GLL, the UK’s leading leisure trust and largest public swimming pool operator, have been working together on a tripartite collaboration with pool safety assisted lifeguard technology company – Lynxight. This groundbreaking partnership aimed to thoroughly test the Lynxight system with a view to revolutionising how lifeguards and operators safeguard pool users across the UK and Ireland.
For over thirty years, RLSS UK has been at the forefront of supporting pool operators with qualifications, guidance, consultancy, and expert training to meet evolving water safety challenges. Embracing technology as a means to enhance safety and support lifeguards and pool operators, RLSS UK and Lynxight, with GLL’s expertise and support, are introducing an innovative and affordable new solution for pool risk management. This collaboration reaffirms RLSS UK’s commitment to being the leader in lifesaving and lifeguarding, sharing expertise, and providing everyone with the skills to save lives and enjoy water safely.
Robert Gofton, CEO of RLSS UK, expressed his delight, stating, “After several years of investigating how technology and AI would impact lifeguarding and lifesaving, we are thrilled to announce this partnership with Lynxight. We believe this system will elevate swimming pool safety, making pools even safer for everyone.”
Lynxight’s pioneering technology, developed by founders with military service experience, combines specialist Artificial Intelligence (AI) software and swimmer behaviour analysis with standard security cameras to deliver real-time insights
both above and below the water, directly to the lifeguard’s smartwatch. The system complements the highly skilled work of trained lifeguards, as recommended in the new National Pool Lifeguard Qualification (NPLQ) Gen 10, supported by world-leading international research. It continuously monitors pool users and promptly alerts lifeguards via smartwatches about anyone who may require assistance, enhancing overall pool safety. Lynxight’s cost-effective solution utilises an overhead security camera system, offering easy maintenance, minimal impact on pool buildings, and low visibility to pool visitors. It can operate in various pool types, including indoor standard tank swimming pools, freeform pools with irregular shapes, and outdoor swimming pools.
Jo Talbot, Commercial Director at RLSS UK, emphasised the importance of embracing technology while upholding the significance of lifeguarding. “Swimming pool operators can now enhance safety standards and further protect the wellbeing of pool users across the UK and Ireland,” she said.
During a successful six-month trial by GLL, they were able to adapt, test and refine the system to meet the stringent needs of UK pool operators. Enhanced metrics generated also helped to optimise swimming pool operations, including real-time insights into pool usage, swimmer numbers, and detailed data for each lane or pool area. The positive results and feedback from the trial have generated immense interest, with GLL planning to install the Lynxight system in a number of its swimming pools over the coming months.
Chris Hebblewhite, National Standards and Compliance Director at GLL said, “Assisted Lifeguarding Technology is about making pools even safer for everyone, and this ‘UK first’ between RLSS UK, GLL and Lynxight represents a huge step forward. With this landmark collaboration, we are leading the integration of technology and lifeguarding expertise to create a safer environment for all pool users.” For GLL, it is
the first major initiative to be developed by its new Product Innovation Campus – which brings together physical infrastructure, equipment, content, programming, digital tools, and strategic partnerships - to facilitate innovation and advancement within its customer offer.
Scan the QR code to book a demonstration
Swimming pool safety expert, Andy Read, commented: “For many years, I have been convinced that lifeguards in public swimming pools should be able to benefit from technology offering them a secondary level of safety, which supports a combined lifeguard and technology approach. The availability of the Lynxight system and the prominent use of the words ‘artificial intelligence’ will, I hope, be treated positively by designers, local authority commissioners of facilities, operators, and those with an enforcement role such as Environmental Health Officers, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), but most importantly by pool users.
“I believe that as soon as pools start to introduce technology to support lifeguards, the outcome will help to control the number of lifeguards, lives will be saved, and those suffering an ill health episode in a swimming pool will get swifter support.”
Omer Bar-Ilan, CEO and co-founder of Lynxight, shared his excitement about the partnership, stating, “We are proud to bring our service to the UK under this new and exciting collaboration with RLSS UK and GLL. Lynxight’s mission is to offer affordable access to the most advanced AI safety platform for use in the water, and we look forward to working with UK’s swimming pool lifeguards and operators.”
We are pleased to have become a Premium Partner with Leisure DB (The Leisure Database Company), supporting and contributing to the State of the UK Swimming Industry Report 2023, published in July. The report features a comprehensive breakdown of pool numbers, regional coverage, openings, closures, and insightful analysis from industry experts, including ourselves.
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 about water safety and promoting safe water-based activities.
All RLSS UK Water Safety Partners benefit from a bespoke safety guidance and support package, 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.
We’re proud of our respected and expanding group of RLSS UK Water Safety Partners:
Ensuring you’re prepared appropriately for warming up after a dip in cold water and avoiding the potential effects of hypothermia.
It’s essential to warm up slowly after being immersed in cold water; changing clothes quickly helps prevent sudden changes in body temperature, and this is where the dryrobe® Advance changing robe is essential. Its oversized design gives you enough space to change in and out of swimwear or a wetsuit easily; the unique inner lining wicks water away from the body, helping you to dry quickly, whilst the waterproof and windproof outer shell protects you from the elements.
Made with 100% recycled fabrics, the dryrobe® Advance is perfect for anyone looking for a sustainable, highperformance changing robe.
Find out more at dryrobe.com
Ruth Lee’s Advanced Water Rescue Manikin Toddler
Our Water Safety PartnerRuth Lee Ltd is well known for its Pool Rescue Training Manikins in lifeguard circles. The Adult Pool Rescue Manikin is even recognised equipment for the RLSS UK National Pool Lifeguard Qualification (NPLQ) Gen 10 - accepted for section 2.6 deep water recovery, which includes retrieving the manikin from the bottom of the pool, turning, towing, and a two-person assisted lift from the pool.
At the recent RLSS UK Conference, visitors were enthusiastic to meet a different innovation from Ruth Lee – an Advanced Water Rescue Manikin Toddler, the world’s first drowning simulation manikin for rescue training and medical simulation.
This ultra-realistic manikin can produce accurate drowning emergencies such as pulmonary oedema and foam–medical emergencies that require careful management to ensure the highest chance of survival.
Find out more at www.ruthlee.com/manikin/advanced-waterrescue-toddler
Warm up after a swim with dryrobe®. Safety doesn’t stop at the shoreline.
Wibit’s new product for great sliding fun and high visitor appeal. The ultimate product for unforgettable fun. Featuring five exciting slides, an innovative honeycomb ladder system, and a twelve-person capacity, the Mountain is the perfect product to create unforgettable memories. The Mountain measures over 4m/13ft and is Wibit’s tallest product! Make your location more appealing! Because of its impressive size alone, the Mountain is a huge highlight for every location. It offers action without limits because you can slide in every imaginable way! For those who like adventure, the Sky Jump is the right place to go! From a height of four meters, the ride goes steeply downhill and even catapults you a bit higher at the end. On the slide, get set, go! Boost your revenue and customer satisfaction. Are you looking for a new attraction to enhance your location and attract more visitors? Imagine the colossal Mountain thrilling your customers and skyrocketing your visitor numbers! Expand your business potential - think the Mountain is only suitable for large sports parks? Worry not! As a stand-alone product, it’s easy to handle for any park. It’s time to invest in the future of your business! Want to increase your revenue, save money, and have less stress on your cash flow? Wibit have the perfect individual solution for you! Contact Wibit nowAndreas Küsters, Senior Sales Manager Andreas.Kuesters@wibitsports.com
With several widely publicised tragic drowning incidents this year, Loan A Lifeguard (LAL), the UK’s leading provider of fully qualified lifeguards, extends its heartfelt sympathies to those affected. As an RLSS UK Water Safety Partner, LAL is deeply committed to promoting water safety and ensuring the well-being of swimmers and water enthusiasts. With over six hundred lifeguards on our books, we offer exciting and rewarding opportunities for experienced lifeguards and newcomers embarking on their lifeguarding journey!
LAL prides itself on treating its team like family, as exemplified by Luka, a lifeguard who has been with us for a decade and has now become a Trainer Assessor for the RLSS UK.
Join LAL to make a difference and be part of our mission to safeguard lives and promote water safety.
Visit our website at www.loanalifeguard.com or email us at enquiries@loanalifeguard.com
Red Rescue’s 11’3” Inflatable Rescue SUP is proving incredibly effective for lifeguards worldwide.
Whether managing the safety of water users at an aquapark, guiding open-water swimmers, or delivering event water-safety cover, the Red Rescue SUP is a versatile craft that allows lifesavers to manage any calm-water environment safely.
Muirti O’Cearnaigh of Atlantic Coast Lifeguards has been using his Red Rescue SUP across many events in Ireland:
“Using the Red Rescue SUP heightens your line of sight, making it easier to see swimmers and for them to see you! Compared to something like a kayak, the SUP is much more useful when assisting any casualties.
It really stands out, improving your visual presence on the water, and the inflatable design not only performs brilliantly but also makes event logistics so much easier.”
The Rescue SUP is available through the RLSS UK Shop, so buy yours today to upgrade your lifesaving.
Triton Training has created a recognised continual professional development programme (CPD) to allow swimming teachers to lead mermaid and shark swimming lessons for children.
Instructor training specialist Triton Training has re-written the Monofin Teacher CPD, which has now been registered with CIMSPA for the first time.
Teachers can complete the course online or in person, offering flexibility for students based on their personal circumstances.
The launch of the new CPD comes after Triton Training acquired Fin2Fit in July 2022. Fin2Fit provides the licenses that qualified teachers must purchase upon completion of the qualification in order to lead Monofin lessons and courses.
For more information, go to www.tritontraining.co.uk or email info@tritontraining.co.uk
You have to be a swim teacher to deliver
Our Rookie Lifeguard Instructor Course is designed to give instructors all that they need to deliver the suite of Rookie Lifeguard Awards.
It’s not a bad idea to train as a swim teacher or an RLSS UK Trainer Assessor as it will help to develop teaching practices, but it’s not essential to deliver Rookie Lifeguard.
You can only take part in Rookie Lifeguard if you are between 8 and 12 years-old
8 – 12 years is a guide for Rookie Lifeguard. The materials are predominantly age-appropriate at this stage, but if you assess, as an instructor, that candidates are physically and mentally ready for Rookie Lifeguard at an earlier age, then introduce them as appropriate.
Remember, candidates do not need to have completed a swimming qualification to take part and just need to be competent swimmers, and this can be assessed by the club trainers.
We would recommend you have a physical pack, as this will mean you have the resources freely available to plan and deliver amazing Rookie Lifeguard content. You can, however, work with digital teaching resources if you wish. Maybe buy at least one physical pack for your club/site/venue as a reference.
There are only nine awards to deliver
Rookie Lifeguard is delivered through a bronze, silver and gold progression, and there are three stages within each. You don’t have to stop there though, there are a number of speciality awards, including awards covering: sport; beach, paddleboard and summer and winter safety. Candidates can become a Rookie Lifeguard Master if they collect three golds, their life support and water safety awards, plus three additional bolt-ons. We also have two Achievement Awards for any candidate who may not be able to meet the criteria set out in other Rookie Lifeguard Awards.
Rookie Lifeguards can enter at any stage of the programme, provided they are given enough training to confidently complete the assessments successfully. Rookie Lifeguards can also undertake the bolt-on awards without completing the main programme.
Louise Quimby-Wells-Collins, Training Officer and RLSS UK Approved Training Centre (ATC) Coordinator at John Charles Centre for Sport has successfully engaged youngsters through the Rookie Lifeguard programme for decades.
“We have run the programme through most of the centres in Active Leeds for many years. It’s an activity, not just a sport and educates in water safety, aquatic rescue skills and first aid. It also builds responsibility, confidence, teamwork, and leadership skills. It ticks all the boxes,” she said.
Active Leeds has hundreds of youngsters participating in the Rookie Lifeguard programme, with the number of participants in classes ranging from 12 to 80 at each of the various centres. The programme’s popularity is such that many centres now have waiting lists!
“The key to a successful Rookie Lifeguard programme is the people who deliver it”, says Louise.
Keeping children engaged in aquatics beyond swimming lessons is an ongoing challenge for the Leisure sector. However, by adding the Rookie Lifeguard programme to a pool timetable, operators can keep youngsters engaged longer while opening new revenue streams.
Aimed at children aged around 8 to 12 years, the fun lifesaving programme teaches self-rescue, survival, rescue, and lifesaving sport skills. And crucially, it’s a different activity that parents and children can find appealing after what can be years of swimming instruction.
SCAN HERE to learn more about the Rookie Lifeguard programme, including what Ava McPherson, aged 15, a proud holder of the Rookie Lifeguard Master award, feels about the Rookie Lifeguard programme after achieving the entire suite of Rookie Lifeguard awards when she was younger, and how RLSS UK can support you to start Rookie Lifeguard at your centre or pool.
“You need enthusiastic, passionate Rookie Lifeguard Instructors and a good structure.”
The great news is that it’s quick and easy to upskill staff to deliver the Rookie Lifeguard programme, and likely that for most of your team, there’d be no need to complete any face-to-face training, and you don’t have to be a swimming teacher to be a Rookie Lifeguard Instructor!
Anyone who is a current member of RLSS UK and holds one of RLSS UK’s Trainer Assessor (TA) or Instructor qualifications can update online to deliver the programme. For other staff, including lifeguards, a one-day course is all it takes to qualify as a Rookie Lifeguard Instructor. You can find your nearest course on RLSS UK Course Finder or by contacting your leisure centre, swimming pool or swimming club.
The RLSS UK Consultancy team is there to support you to ensure that you fulfil your liabilities to visitors and staff around water and to manage water safety. These include local authorities, construction companies, leisure operators and private landowners.
RLSS UK has provided water safety expertise for 130 years - positioning us as the leading water safety experts in the UK and Ireland. As well as being costeffective, our water safety consultancy service delivers compliant, straightforward, clear, and practical support to help build, create, and manage safer environments.
Pamana Ltd appointed RLSS UK to conduct a water safety risk assessment at Ouse Valley Way Lake (AKA the Ski Lake). Pamana Ltd leases the site exclusively for its members.
The site allows members to use powered crafts and take part in the occasional open water swimming. It is home to Buckden Waterski Club (BWSC) and has public access via a footpath along one side of the lake.
The risk assessment was needed as Pamana Ltd wanted to ensure that they had everything in place to operate safely and understand what it meant as a commercial operation from a liability perspective.
RLSS UK consultants looked at the physical and hand-built features of the location, including geography and topography, whether the signage was appropriate, the use of technology, including CCTV and the equipment used and stored at the site, and the Public Rescue Equipment available on site. At the end of the report, a number of recommendations to improve the safety of the site were made, which are now being actioned.
Our services span across a wide range of support, with the list below being some of the common services delivered:
• Risk Assessments
• Training, Capability and Qualifications
• Safety check creation
• Safety procedure creation/review
• Signage review
• Public Rescue Equipment (PRE) review
• Safety Audits
• Water Safety Plans
• Water Safety Advice
• Event Safety Advice or Cover
• Mystery Visits
Any individual or organisation - with water on or around their site - should not dismiss their accountabilities for managing water safety. Request a call back by completing this enquiry form, and let us help you www.rlss.org.uk/ consultancy-enquiry
Tristan Hedley, from Pamana Limited, said: “We have found the experience of working with RLSS UK very user-friendly and a situation that we thought could have been hard to navigate ended up being very straightforward. The team’s professionalism from start to finish was top drawer, and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend your service to anyone who needed help.”
For more information about the consultancy services offered or to arrange a call back by RLSS UK, visit www.rlss.org.uk/consultancy-services
RLSS UK staff have been busy conducting customer mystery visits over the summer for our customers, including several holiday parks, hotel chains, leisure pools and leisure centres.
These anonymous visits check that procedures set by the site are being adhered to and compile a comprehensive, unbiased report – this is just one of the ways we can support operators and other businesses via our consultancy services.
The essential occupational water safety qualification for anyone working in or near inland and coastal waterwaysNOW ALIGNED WITH DEFRA WATER AND FLOOD MODULES
The RLSS UK Compliance team often gets asked what reasonable adjustments can be put in place for non-English speaking candidates or candidates where English isn’t their first language.
All candidates should have a basic understanding of English to be able to complete a RLSS UK qualification. Where this is not the case, it may be beneficial to delay the enrolment of the candidate on the course and help them find a suitable English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) course to support them with this. There are many great examples across the country where Approved Training Centres and Providers are doing this. Swim UK is one company that has undertaken this, and details can be found here: www.rlss.org.uk/News/ukrainianrefugees-start-new-careers-as-lifeguards-inthe-uk
Where a candidate does have a basic understanding of English, has completed the course and is ready for assessment but requires additional support, our Reasonable Adjustment and Special Consideration policy details what is permitted and what you need to apply directly to RLSS UK Qualifications for.
As an ATC/P, you are permitted to allow the use of a bilingual dictionary (hard copy only) and to give up to 25% extra time for the assessment. These adjustments are typical of what can be granted in these circumstances. Where reasonable adjustments have been applied, these should be recorded on the application form, signed off by the ATC/P and retained with the course paperwork.
The use of a translator is not permitted in the assessment at any time as it is very difficult to ensure the validity of the results where they have been used.
Please contact the RLSS UK Compliance team if you have any questions via compliance@rlss.org.uk.
The Compliance team has recently noticed an increase in course organisers setting up their own assessments on the RLSS UK Course Management system. This is occurring because the course organiser has mistakenly set up a duplicate account.
The system will not allow you to set up a course and add yourself as a candidate. This is to maintain the security of the assessment paper and ensure you do not have early access to your own assessment paper.
Therefore, where a course organiser is going to be a candidate on an assessment, the assessment should be set up by another appropriate competent person appointed by the ATC/P. The assessment materials MUST be kept confidential in line with the rules set out within each qualifications Guidance and Syllabus.
We understand that this is not being done maliciously; however, where there have been concerns identified with early access to confidential assessment materials, sanctions may be imposed on the ATC/P, course organiser, and Trainers involved. The assessment results will not be valid, and those affected will need to be reassessed accordingly in line with the terms set out by the RLSS UK Compliance team.
One of our regulatory requirements is to ensure the identity of the candidate is verified before an assessment takes place. This is why it is required that ID be provided and checked at the start of a course and by the Assessor prior to the assessment taking place. ATC/Ps should not retain a copy of this.
The main reason for this is to prevent fraud. We are aware that candidates may identify themselves under a different name. However, our current stance must meet regulatory guidance. A candidate’s name must reflect the legal name on the ID that the candidate has supplied to the ATC/P. It is important that course organisers check if this is correct when adding candidates to events and prior to submitting results. Trainers and assessors should also check this in line with guidance.
Where a candidate has changed their name and wishes to update their records with us, they can put this in writing to: customerservices@rlss.org.uk
They must confirm their previous name, new name, Society Number and D.O.B and provide a copy of the relevant ID showing the name change: Passport, Driving Licence, Marriage Certificate, Deed Poll, etc.
In broad terms, maladministration covers mistakes or poor processes where there has been no intention on the part of the person responsible to do any harm. It may involve some degree of incompetence or ineptitude or may result from carelessness or inexperience.
There are several ways to prevent maladministration, as detailed below:
A robust Internal Quality Assurance (IQA) process is the main key to preventing maladministration. This should feed into your Standardisation sessions with your Trainers. Other things that will help are:
• Checking assessment paperwork prior to submitting results.
• Familiarising yourself with any changes to a qualification.
• Familiarising yourself with ATC/P guidance.
• Familiarising yourself with the guidance for each qualification you deliver.
• Completing the ATC/P Coordinator Competency and Training CPD located within your RLSS UK Account.
• Insert your Trainer and Assessor onto the event prior to the course/assessment taking place. This will prevent any “unqualified” Trainers or Assessors from being used.
A key to preventing maladministration is ensuring you fully understand and are prepared for the course/ assessment you are taking. Common practices that will help with this are:
• Ensuring you are up to date with the relevant changes for the qualification you are delivering/ assessing.
• Understanding and having an up-to-date copy of the assessment criteria and assessment record for the qualification you are assessing.
• Assessing in line with the assessment criteria, including using the standard briefings.
• Doublechecking the marking of the assessment paperwork prior to submitting it to the ATC/P for processing.
• Doublechecking the course/renewal evidence before putting a candidate forward for assessment.
• Ensuring ALL criteria have been assessed accordingly.
• Not over-assessing candidates.
Remember TAs/PTAs and other professionals look up to you and take your advice as gospel. Be the best you can be and ensure you:
• Are always up to date with the relevant changes in course and assessment procedures.
• Give your TAs/PTAs the best advice which aligns with RLSS UK guidance.
• Set standards right from the start.
• Seek advice where you are not sure.
• Doublecheck the completion of LG9s and LG10s.
The RLSS UK Compliance team is often asked how many Continued Professional Development (CPD) hours an NVBLQ holder should have to be put forward for assessment. The Guidance & Syllabus for NVBLQ states this:
“Candidates renewing their existing qualification should have evidence of CPD over the last 24 months. This CPD should have covered the complete range of skills within the syllabus.
We recommend that candidates keep records of all the training they receive. CPD can be achieved by:
• Attending regular ongoing in-service training (strongly recommended).
• Attend alternative training (face-to-face or online) relating to beach lifeguard theory, rescue skills, CPR and first aid.
CPD records should contain the following:
• The CPD method
• An outline of the topics covered
• The dates on which the activity was undertaken
• The time period of the CPD
• The number of hours
• Evidence that you undertook the CPD activity (e.g., a signature from the Trainer of the CPD, certificate, etc.)
While the guidance doesn’t specify the number of hours, the presenting Trainer should always ensure that a candidate is ready for an assessment; you may want to evaluate the skills and knowledge of the candidate to ensure they are ready for assessment.
The Royal Life Saving Society UK (RLSS UK) has an exciting partnership with GoodSAM –here, they explain how you can be part of a network of lifesavers.
GoodSAM is an app-based system that alerts those trained in CPR and the use of a defibrillator to cardiac arrests nearby. It saves hundreds of lives every year, and being RLSS UK trained means you can join this network of lifesavers!
We all know that every minute a cardiac arrest patient doesn’t receive CPR, their chances of survival fall by 10. You significantly increase survival by starting quality CPR in those few minutes before an ambulance arrives. Studies have shown that getting a GoodSAM responder more than doubles survival chances.
To join, download the app, register under RLSS UK, and upload your training certificate.
The system is plugged into most ambulance services across the UK (and many more globally). Responders tend to get alerted around twice a year to those nearby (within a few streets of where they are). If you can’t go for any reason, that’s ok. The next, nearest person is alerted, and the ambulance is still on its way.
To find out more, please visit www.goodsamapp.org
We are also very excited to announce a Life Saving Equipment Map as well!
We have mapped defibrillators for years, but GoodSAM is now launching a system that maps bleed kits, fire equipment, and in collaboration with RLSS UK, water rescue devices. This system is all available within the app, and we would be very grateful if you could help map (and keep an eye on) the water rescue resources you pass on your daily travels.
On Friday 23, and Saturday 24 June, the RLSS UK Conference 2023 took place at the Coventry Building Society Arena. We want to thank all those who attended as well as our brilliant speakers, exhibitors, and all members of staff who helped organise the two days.
Over 350 delegates attended over the weekend and were able to hear from a range of speakers and take part in a number of workshops.
Friday, we welcomed those from the leisure industry and our corporate partners, with topics including the latest research and development in water safety education and training, medical workshops, and the exciting National Pool Lifeguard Qualification (NPLQ) Gen 10 pre-launch.
Friday’s keynote speaker was the founder of GoodSAM, Professor Mark Wilson, OBE.
It was seamlessly delivered, content spot on, and the whole day was delivered to an exceptional standard, so a massive well done to all involved.
On Saturday, we welcomed a mix of old and new charity friends to understand and develop inclusive methods and practices and learn about all the progression opportunities to support the journey and educate everyone to enjoy water safely. Podcaster and BBC presenter Summaya Mughal opened Saturday’s events by talking through her experiences with swimming and her award-winning podcast ‘Brown Gal Can’t Swim’.
98%
93% were left feeling positive about RLSS UK rated the conference as ‘excellent’ or ‘good’
Great variety of workshops and excellent speakers. Staff were welcoming and happy to help when needed.
For those of you who saw the Andrea Hall limited edition print for sale at the conference, there is still time to purchase one, with all proceeds going to the charity
Everyone was extremely welcoming. The speeches were excellent, and I felt very relaxed even though I was attending alone.
The RLSS Commonwealth Lifesaving Championships are held every two years, aiming to encourage participation in lifesaving sport, further develop lifesaving practices and bring the lifesaving family together!
This year, Lifesaving Society Canada were the nominated hosts and held the competition at their world-class facility in Ontario; the Windsor International Aquatic and Training Centre (WIATC). The event took place between 13 – 17 September and it was a fantastic week of intense training, friendly competition and fun!
Congratulations
to all the amazing athletes from our home nations – you really did us proud.
• It was great two see two of our home nations on the podium for the Womens National 12m line throw relay! Congratulations to Northern Ireland (Meabh Rodgers and Mia McComish) who took home Silver and Scotland (Samantha Carpenter and Abigail Kerr) who took home Bronze
• The Welsh Development team also took the 12m line throw relay by storm, picking up a Silver (Ben and Declan Ewington) and Bronze (Jacob Screeton and Ben Langdown)
• Another ‘super’ result followed in the 200m Super Lifesaver with two of England’s National women on the podium: a Silver for Emily Robson and Bronze for Heather Watson
• Our home nations shone on SERC Sunday where a huge number of points were accrued – special congratulations to Heather Watson, Emily Robson, Luke Waterfall (England) and Nia Bailey-Jones (Wales) for their perfect scores of 100!
England – 2nd
Wales – 4th
N. Ireland (National) – 6th
Event
Scotland – 8th
N. Ireland (Development) - 9th
Gender Results
200m Obstacle Swim Men Silver for Thomas Leggett (NI National team)
4 x 50m Obstacle Relay Women Silver for both England Development & National teams
Men Silver for England Development team and Bronze for England National team
12m Line Throw Relay Women Gold for Wales Development team, Silver for NI National team, Bronze for Scotland National team
Men Silver & Bronze for Wales Dev teams, Silver for NI National team, Bronze for Scotland National Team
100m Manikin Tow with Fins
Women Silver for Emily Goodwin (England Development team) and Bronze for Heather Watson (England National team)
Men Silver for Jack Sadberry (England National team)
50m Manikin Carry Women Gold for Amaia Lopez (England Development team)
Men Bronze for Thomas Leggett (NI National team)
4 x 25m Manikin Relay Women Silver for both England Development & National teams
Men Silver for England National team & Bronze for England Development team
200m Super Lifesaver Women Silver for Emily Robson and Bronze for Heather Watson (both England National team)
Dry SERC Women
Joint Gold for Heather Watson, Emily Robson (England National team) and Nia Bailey-Jones (Wales National team) and joint Bronze for Sally Carter (England Development) and Kirsten Barnett (Scotland Development)
Men Gold for Luke Waterfall, Silver for Ryan Wheeler (England National team) Bronze for Lewis Graham (Scotland National team) and Bronze for Freddie Postlethwaite (England Development team)
Wet SERC
Mixed Gold for England (both Development and National teams) and Silver for Wales Development team
4 x 50m Medley Relay Women Gold for England Development team and Bronze for England National team
Men Gold for England National team and Silver for England Development team
RLSS UK would also like to extend our thanks to the amazing officials, volunteers, coaches and team managers that represented us at Commonwealths 2024.
For a full list of competitors from our home nations, please visit our website. www.rlss.org.uk
British Universities Life Saving Clubs’ Association (BULSCA) has spoken to us to provide an update on their activities within the lifesaving sport world. Read more below from the BULSCA Championships Co-ordinator!
“BULSCA Student National championships runs every year, normally in March, and is the highlight of the BULSCA calendar. Clubs from across England (and sometimes other countries) come together to compete in a two day competition to be the overall winner.
On the first day, the competition takes the same form as the RLSS UK National Speed Championships. Clubs form teams consisting of up to twelve members, who take part in various individual and relay events.
Importantly, you do not have to be part of a university squad to enter the championships, as it is similar to the RLSS UK Speeds, it is open to individuals who wish to compete. Participants will be seeded and race alongside the university clubs. Every year we have at least ten alumni, and a handful of other competitors.
The second day takes the form of a normal league competition, with the exception of the league swimming event. The clubs from the first day split into three teams of four, who compete in all team events. Again, non-university teams can enter and be part of the overall Sunday results.
The overall university championships result is formed from the results of the first and second day combined, however, individual medals are awarded for the races on the Saturday, and the Simulated Emergency Response Competitions (SERC) and races on the Sunday.
Champs 2023 was held at Crawley K2 pool. We had over 100 athletes compete, and this would not have been possible without the 50+ volunteers we had help run the whole weekend. It is always a big and fun event, and the more people we have the better so please check the BULSCA website for details about Champs 2024 and come along!”
bulsca.co.uk
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.
April 2023, Weston-Super-Mare
Richard Green and Dale King, RLSS UK qualified lifeguards, were on duty at Hutton Moor Leisure Centre, when 78-year-old Lewis was playing walking football when he collapsed.
The receptionist at the leisure centre was instructed to call a first aider and Richard, a qualified RLSS UK Trainer Assessor (TA), made his way to the 3G pitch with fellow lifeguard Dale.
As Lewis was turned over, Richard noticed that he had an agonal gasp, so immediately began performing CPR as Dale prepared the defib. After two rounds of CPR, Richard and Dale delivered a shock to Lewis. Shortly after, the critical care team arrived and took over. Lewis was taken to hospital by ambulance where he was put into an induced coma for three days and thankfully has since made a good recovery.
Richard and Dale received Certificates of Meritorious Action for Lifeguards from RLSS UK.
January 2023, Dublin
November 2022, Bournemouth
On a windy Sunday, Cesar Mateus, a qualified RLSS UK Lifeguard (NPLQ and NVBLQ), was at Bournemouth beach training a group of cadets.
Cesar, a Bournemouth Lifeguard Corps Pool Training Officer, spotted a kite surfer who appeared to be struggling about 400m offshore. Cesar observed for a while, and decided he would get back into his wetsuit and take a rescue board and paddle out to see if the person needed help.
The kite surfer had become separated from his friends and when Cesar got to the man, he found the man’s legs were entangled in the lines of the kiteboard and he was unable to free himself.
Cesar helped the man back to safety and it became apparent once ashore, that one of the kite surfer’s feet was blue from the restriction of the lines, and that the lines had to be cut. It took almost 20 minutes to release his legs from the ropes.
A Certificate of Meritorious Action for Lifeguards was presented to Cesar at a surprise presentation by Jill Bailey.
Fifteen-year-old Noah was at a basketball training session with a number of other young people when one young person stumbled and collapsed during a training drill. The young person appeared to be having a seizure and soon became unresponsive.
Noah noticed that the casualty’s condition appeared to change; the ambulance dispatcher then instructed Noah to begin chest compressions, the young person stopped breathing, and Noah continued the chest compressions.
Shortly after paramedics arrived on scene and took over from Noah. Thankfully the young person was stabilised on-site by the ambulance crew before being transported to a hospital.
Thanks to the quick actions of Noah, who has completed his Rookie Lifeguard awards and is CPR trained as part of his life support training classes with St. John Berchmans Lifesaving Club, the young person made a full recovery.
January 2023, Kent
Port of Dover Police were called to attend the seafront promenade to assist Kent Police with a male who had jumped from the promenade onto the beach and entered the water. Police Officer and qualified beach lifeguard, Lorraine, was called to assist. The male was approximately 25 metres from the shore, conscious, lying on his back and flowing with the tide.
As he was not engaging, Lorraine entered the water holding a life ring and rope to perform a rescue.
Lorraine held the ring and instructed her colleagues to feed the rope and get ready to pull them both back to shore. The male didn’t engage with Lorraine but as the male had been in the water for over 30 minutes, his clothing soddened, heavy, and weighing him down. Lorraine made the decision to grab hold of the collar on his jacket with one hand and looped her other arm through the ring, and shouted to the shore to be pulled in. Both Lorraine and the male returned to shore and he was taken back to the promenade before being transferred to a hospital to be checked over.
May 2023, Bude
Twelve-year-old Molly was on a recent school trip to Bude when she was taking part in some water activities. As Molly was in the water, she spotted an older lady who was in difficulty and was struggling to keep her head above the water.
On her surfboard, Molly paddled over to the lady to try to help and get her to safety. She managed to pull the lady into shallower water and alert the lifeguard on duty to help her. The lady was very emotional and shocked but was very thankful to Molly for her actions which saved her life.
Molly was awarded a Young Persons Certificate of Commendation from RLSS UK and presented with the certificate at school as part of the end of year award presentations.
June 2022, Herefordshire
Police Officer Chris Rogers had been guarding a scene at Greyfriars Bridge in Herefordshire when he saw a man jump from the bridge landing face down.
The male who had jumped appeared to be unconscious in the fast-flowing river, so Chris knew that time was critical to rescue the man. Chris entered the water and dragged the unconscious man onto the river bank and began performing CPR. The man was then taken to hospital by ambulance and has since made a full recovery.
PC Rogers was invited to Number 10 Downing Street in July 2023 to celebrate his rescue efforts at the national Police Bravery Awards 2023. RLSS UK awarded Chris with a Certificate of Recognition.
Four-year-old Alexander Dunn was on holiday with his family in Spain and was enjoying splashing around in the pool with his dad, Ben. The father and son decided to have a go on the water slide when tragedy struck. As Alexander’s dad went down the slide he suffered a stroke and lost full use of his right side, the right side of his face dropped and he was unable to speak. Alexander swam the length of the pool, got himself out of the water and as his dad was unable to get out of the pool he stayed by his side, realising something was wrong. Alexander then alerted a lifeguard by telling them he needed his mummy, he then spotted his mum, Danielle, and ran to her telling her that “there is something wrong with daddy, he looks really weird!” Ben was then pulled from the pool, stabilised by emergency services and taken to hospital.
Thanks to Alexander’s quick actions his dad is recovering well. Alexander was awarded a Young Persons Certificate of Commendation RLSS UK.
Youth Ambassador Bhavik Barochia updates us on the activities that the RLSS UK Youth Advisory Board have been busy with this year so far!
“We were very busy over spring and summer as we completed lots of planning for the year ahead. As a team we outlined our key objectives for the duration of the term with a number of exciting initiatives that we would like the youth members of the society to be working towards.
These include engagement with LGBTQ+ pride events, increased structure for youth development and exciting initiatives to provide new opportunities for our young members which includes education and career development, transferrable skills recognition, as well as a more structured approach to our young people’s volunteered time acknowledgement.
Other areas we have focused on are planning and organising a TikTok style video competition with some exciting prizes up for grabs. There will be four categories of videos you can create which cover all the aspects of the society: sports, charity, lifeguarding, and NLA.
The team have also organised a youth social media takeover and have produced some exciting content from our young members across the society, so keep your eyes on the RLSS UK social accounts you’ll be able to see what we’ve been up to!
We have also supported September’s Don’t Drink and Drown where we focused on keeping students safe during freshers at the start of the university term.
We now have a busy time ahead with December’s Don’t Drink and Drown campaign and lots more great activities planned in. We look forward to updating you again soon.”
“Hi, I’m Alex and I began my lifesaving journey by completing RLSS UK’s Rookie Lifeguard and Survive & Save programmes. I began teaching our young members by attaining a Young Leader award, followed by becoming a lifesaving instructor and NPLQ holder. I continued my volunteering journey being elected as the co-chair of the Shropshire branch and joining the Youth Advisory Board.
I loved being part of the first cohort of the youth team but I felt, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, that my job wasn’t complete and that we had more to accomplish. I aim to inspire our young members to take on positions of responsibility in order to create a more inclusive and diverse society at all levels.”
I loved being part of the first cohort of the youth team but I felt, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, that my job wasn’t complete and that we had more to accomplish.
“Hi, my name is Georgina and I am the new youth advisor for RLSS UK. I’d like to introduce myself and tell you about my journey with RLSS UK so far.
I started when I was 10 years old as a Rookie Lifeguard, I’d just finished swimming lessons and wanted to continue swimming. My parents who are both ex-lifeguards encouraged me to go to the local club and I have been involved there ever since. I love the first aid sessions, the rescues, the fun races and games we did.
I went through all the Rookie Lifeguard awards and then the Survive & Save scheme to earn a distinction. Afterwards, I completed my instructor awards and my NPLQ. All of these awards have given me valuable skills and developed life skills I use in my everyday life, like communication and leadership. I have now been teaching for the last eight years and now lead the Rookie Lifeguard Section at my club. I wanted to give back to the kids in my community, just like my instructors did when I was younger. How full circle is that? I like being able to give the kids new skills and seeing them develop.
During this time, I started competing at Regional, National and International Championships. My favourite events are SERC and line throw. I then went on to the World Championships to compete in the interclub competition. I’ve been to France in 2014, the Netherlands in 2016 and Australia in 2018, and I’m hoping to go to Australia again next year. I became the youth world champion in 2016 when I won the line throw with my partner. These competitions have been a great opportunity to connect with lifesavers from around
the world and share experiences with my team. This connection with the international community has been extended as I have recently attended the Commonwealth youth group where we get to discuss drowning prevention and work on upcoming campaigns.
Outside of my club, I started working as a pool lifeguard parttime during my studies. I now volunteer as an open water lifeguard at events like the Great North Swim, Wilderness Festival and Henley Royal Regatta. These events have given me the opportunity to make a network of lifeguarding friends across the country and they are always a lot of fun, no matter the weather.
As the youth advisor, I will be working with the board of trustees to provide youth perspective and work on projects with increased representation. I will also be working with the youth advisory board to create initiatives to increase engagement and awareness. I hope to use my experience through RLSS UK to create great opportunities for young people to enjoy what it has to provide like I have. And make sure more people can enjoy water safely. I’m very excited to get started.”
I hope to use my experience through RLSS UK to create great opportunities for young people to enjoy what it has to provide.
Heanor Swimming and Life Saving Club
2023 is a momentous year for Heanor Swimming and Life Saving Club as it marks its 50th anniversary.
The club has met twice weekly throughout its 50 years and relied on very many dedicated and hard-working volunteers throughout this time, each bringing their own experiences, skills and approach to work with our members.
Delivering swimming lessons and teaching lifesaving skills, the club provides many learning opportunities for its 100 plus members, including delivering the RLSS UK Rookie Lifeguard programme and working on moving from the Survive & Save award to the new National Lifesaving Academy. Additionally, the club actively engages in the busy lifesaving sport calendar, enjoying joining with other clubs to compete and meet with old friends in the UK and beyond.
The club will be celebrating their 50th year in various ways involving club members, including a party in the park, a sponsored event, a celebratory evening and swimmers given a 50th anniversary t-shirt.
“We want to express our thanks to everyone who has been part of the club over the last 50 years. We hope to progress with positivity and commitment into our second half century, continuing to support local children and young people to be safe and have fun around water and to contribute to the Lifesaving community.”
During the summer, Ryde Beach Lifeguards teamed up with Southern Water to offer local children in school Years 5 and 6 the opportunity to learn lifesaving water safety skills.
Each year Ryde Beach Lifeguards looks after the safety of locals and visitors to Ryde and Sandown beaches; however they recognise the wider benefit of drowning prevention education to prevent people getting into trouble in the first place.
Sea Safe is one of their drowning prevention initiatives, that aims to educate children in an interactive and immersive way, how to stay safe in and around open water and what to do if they, or someone else, gets into difficulty.
Chalkwell Lifeguards Volunteers supported RLSS UK’s Drowning Prevention Week campaign by holding a Survive & Save Bronze and Silver Medallion course for young people from Romford to help educate them about how to stay safe in and around water.
“Hi, I’m James and I am the newly appointed Community Development Manager for RLSS UK! It is a huge honour to join the RLSS UK family and I am delighted to have the opportunity to work with such a passionate and committed team to help educate our communities and enable everyone to enjoy water safely.
I have been fortunate to have worked in elite professional sport and in the charity sector for the last 15 years. My roles have focused on growing participation, supporting retention, recruitment of volunteers as well as engaging and supporting local communities.
My passion for lifesaving comes from my two children, who both love swimming. Like most parents, I am at my happiest when my children are doing something they enjoy, and they certainly are at their happiest when they are in the water! Being able to share these experiences with them has been amazing but it has also made me very aware of the dangers of being in the water. This awareness was heightened when a family friend lost their life to drowning nearly a decade ago. Following this, I was involved in fundraising activities for RLSS UK and became more aware of the incredible work the charity does and how crucial this work is to help protect people and their families. The information, courses and resources are superb and played a huge part in helping to educate myself and my family around water safety.
Their volunteers have also been busy supporting Southend Triathlon. Debra Sales Tiffen, Yvonne Lewis, Val Mayes, Edward Hayden and Karen Slater, all trained hard for nearly a year with constant swimming, cycling and running sessions to be able to take part in the event in an attempt to raise funds to update their clubs rescue equipment.
Volunteers were also invited to attend a new Community Champions Award Presentation Ceremony in April organised and hosted by Anna Firth MP.
Ten local volunteers and groups were nominated to receive a Community Champions Award and a box of House of Commons mints in recognition for all their efforts to support the local Community and all of its residents.
Being in, on or around water gives you such a huge boost mentally and physically, providing great adventure and fun but with that comes a responsibility and a need for further awareness and education. The work that RLSS UK, our clubs, volunteers and participants do is crucial in providing this vital knowledge, experience and resources. I am looking forward to meeting everyone involved within our clubs, helping to continue this journey and work together to meet our goal.
Please get in touch to discuss how we can help and support your club.”
We’ve come a long way since 1891 when the first organised lifesaving competition took place at the annual RLSS Conference in England. William Henry (a champion swimmer and water polo player himself) and Archibald Sinclair believed that sport could be used to promote water safety messages and reduce preventable drownings.
The Sunlight Challenge Shield was the first major national lifesaving competition. Twenty-four teams of four competitors pitted their lifesaving skills and knowledge against each other in District and Divisional competitions. Nottingham Swimming Club emerged as the ultimate champions that year.
By 1897 the popularity of lifesaving as a sport had grown so rapidly that an International Championship Gala in London, commemorating the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria, attracted a massive 13,000 spectators!
Over the past four and a half decades, Lifesaving Sport has coalesced into the modern international sport that it is today. In 2011 the Survive & Save programme was introduced with a set of sport awards. This was the first time that RLSS UK created an award formally designed to encourage the development of Lifesaving Sport.
Last year we released the new National Lifesaving Academy to replace the Survive & Save programme. It has been a great success, with over 600 awards taken during the first nine months of our transition year.
When we launched the National Lifesaving Academy, we knew that the Bronze Lifesaving Awards progression wasn’t the right structure for a set of Lifesaving Sport awards. There are distinct differences between lifesaving awards and lifesaving sport, and we wanted to honour that difference with a format that made sense for athletes’ development and progress.
The new format sees participants work through a series of stages.
Stage I is a basic introduction to Lifesaving Sport. It introduces athletes to line throw, obstacle, manikin carry, manikin tow, SERC, and initiative event techniques. It builds foundational skills that will always be used as athletes progress. We ask athletes to demonstrate knowledge of a competition format and basic first aid as part of their assessment.
Stage II is a series of bolt-on awards. These short, two-part assessments allow athletes to demonstrate theoretical knowledge about individual events and their rules and show their physical skills. They are designed to prepare individuals and teams for participation in competition, encouraging athletes to improve their techniques and fitness and understand the rules surrounding the event.
Our aim is to eventually release Stage III and additional Stage II bolt-on awards, allowing athletes to complete grassroots to elite sports pathways as we prepare for the challenges that Lifesaving Sport will bring as it grows in popularity, worldwide.
We have lots of great ways to make donations so it can be easy for everyone to help raise vital funds for RLSS UK and help us to allow everyone the opportunity to enjoy water safely.
Text to donate: Donations via text are quick and easy. All you need to do is:
To donate £3, text RLSSUK001 to 70331
To donate £5, text RLSSUK001 to 70970
To donate £10, text RLSSUK001 to 70191
Online donations: Donations can be made via our website www.rlss.org.uk/donate - for any amount that you are able to give. You can either donate a one-off amount or set-up regular payments via direct debit.
Cheque donations: Cheques made payable to RLSS UK can be sent to:
Royal Life Saving Society UK Red Hill House 227 London Road Worcester WR5 2JG
We have recently created some brand new donation boxes which you can order to display in areas such as workplace receptions or at events to encourage those passing to donate. When the box is full you can pay the money into the RLSS UK bank account.
Email fundraising@rlss.org.uk for more information!
If you are a UK taxpayer please remember to Gift Aid your donation.
Gift Aid is a government scheme that allows us to reclaim the basic rate tax you pay as a UK taxpayer. It means that we can claim 25p of tax for every £1 you donate, at no extra cost to you. All you need to do is complete a Gift Aid declaration, usually a tickbox, when donating.
We are delighted to launch our new contactless donation platform GiveTap.
GiveTap is a simple, easy and trusted way to collect contactless donations anywhere by a simple tap on a phone! More information on page 60.
If you would like to leave a gift to RLSS UK in your Will, you can email legacy@rlss.org.uk and we will guide you through the process of making your free Will.
Throughout 2023, participants of RLSS UK’s Make a Splash challenge (affectionately known as ‘Splashers’!) have been smashing their challenge in the pool, sea and open water. They’ve also been raising vital funds to help with our water safety education work. A huge thanks and well done to everyone who has taken part this year.
Feeling inspired by reading about our current participants? Make a Splash returns in January 2024 and we’d love for you to take part. There are four distance options for people to participate in and you can choose to swim, canoe, or stand-up paddleboard (SUP). Mini Splashers (for participants under 16 years) can set themselves their own swimming distance target. In addition, participants have until the end of the year to complete their challenge - so you can take it at your own pace.
Until then, we also have a smaller challenge for you to dip your toes into. This winter you can take part in our 1891 challenge – swim 1,891m (or 76 lengths) between 1 October and 31 December. This challenge is designed to get you moving and to improve your physical and mental wellbeing.
You can find all the details on both events, including how to sign-up, on our website. Simply scan the QR code.
“When I was asked to be Ambassador for the RLSS UK Make a Splash campaign, I saw this as a great opportunity, to not only raise awareness of all the things the RLSS UK do, but also use raise awareness of our club; Nantwich Neptune Lifesaving Club.
I love swimming, but spend more time on the edge of the pool these days teaching lifesaving, and less time splashing about in water myself. This challenge has allowed me to focus on my swimming again, and I have really enjoyed spending time every week doing something I enjoy.
All charities are finding times tough at the moment, and even if I can only make a small amount of difference by raising a few hundred pounds, raising awareness helps to build the lifesaving community and attracts other people to join the cause.”
Heather Smith 2023 Make a Splash Ambassador
“Although a regular swimmer before Make a Splash, I have now built swimming into my weekly routine, and I plan to continue with my weekly swims after I have completed the challenge. My swimming has improved greatly, and I have enjoyed seeing the familiar faces at my local pool. I would encourage anyone to take part. If you’re unsure just go for it, your fitness will improve, and you’ll love the feeling of accomplishment.
I decided to support RLSS UK as earlier this year I obtained my National Pool Lifeguard Qualification (NPLQ), which sparked my interest in the work of RLSS UK. I also regularly take part in wild swimming and I’m at my happiest when I’m in the water. Just go for it, don’t be shy and get your fundraising page out there, people can only say no!”
Read more about some of our fantastic 2023 Splashers on our website!
RLSS UK has a proud history of helping to reduce the number of lives lost to drowning since 1891, which is where we have taken inspiration for our winter challenge.
We are challenging you to swim 1891m (or 76 lengths of a 25m swimming pool) during the months October to December.
• Entry is only £10 per person
• Every participant will receive a medal for their achievement
• You can even get together with a friend and share the distance (plus it’s a great opportunity to share a coffee and cake after your sessions!)
There is no set fundraising target for this challenge, as this is a challenge primarily to promote looking after your own wellbeing. However, if you are interested in fundraising for us, you could aim for £75 (roughly £1 per length). This amount would enable us to teach water safety to a classroom of children.
As the nights become darker and the weather is colder, what better way to complete a fitness challenge in a warm heated pool whilst raising money for charity, than our winter challenge.
We are delighted to launch our new contactless donation platform GiveTap. GiveTap is a simple, easy and trusted way to collect contactless donations anywhere by a simple tap on a phone!
Over 450 charities are using GiveTap to collect contactless donations, boosting fundraising around the UK and Ireland in a growing, cashless society.
We have already taken numerous donations via our contactless app throughout many areas of the UK and Ireland. We are looking forward to helping you to use the platform to increase donations.
To find out more information and to register to use the contactless system to raise funds in your local area, email fundraising@rlss.org.uk and a member of the Fundraising team will be in touch.
Fundraising and donations help us to achieve our vision to have nations without drowning where everyone can safely enjoy being in, on or near water.
Donations mean we can continue to provide expert lifesaving education in the UK and Ireland, protecting families from the sudden and devastating impact of drowning.
Liz Brace your Membership Services Advisor has prepared a list of typical questions and answers that members contact us about in relation to insurance:
Am I insured to travel?
Travel to and from an activity is not covered by RLSS UK Insurance. Suitable insurance to cover any vehicles should be additionally arranged. It is strongly recommended for individual members or groups to arrange their own travel insurance for any travel abroad.
What does Personal Injury/Accident Cover include?
Personal Accident does not apply to group or club members
Please see the individual members summary of cover.
Am I insured to operate rescue boats/watercraft?
If you or the club own or operate a watercraft/boat you should purchase separate marine insurance which protects both material damage and marine liability. Where your separate marine liability insurance fails, the below contingency insurance will consider any claim. The ownership, possession or use by or on behalf of you of any marine water craft in inland or territorial waters
Cover for watercraft applies when used for the purposes of carrying out RLSS UK activity and/or training. Providing you are suitably qualified using RYA qualifications suitable to the craft and activity being carried out and are not using the craft for private use and/or carrying far-paying passengers. This marine extension of cover does not apply: a. for any claim arising out of any person being towed or preparing to be towed by a watercraft for the purposes of water skiing, kite surfing or any other airborne activity; b. where the watercraft is carrying any fare-paying passengers at the time of the incident that led to the claim; c. where the watercraft is being used for private pleasure purposes at the time of the incident that led to the claim; d. for any claim arising out of the ownership, possession or use of any jet ski; e. where at the time of the incident that led to the claim the watercraft is in the charge or control of any person who does not hold the RLSS UK Powerboat or RYA equivalent qualification; or f. where you would be entitled to be paid under any marine insurance policy covering the watercraft if this policy did not exist.
You must pay an excess of £500 for any covered claim for property damage arising out of the use of any watercraft in inland or territorial waters or out of the ownership, possession or maintenance of any watercraft designed for use in inland or territorial waters.
Please note the following equipment is not covered in your policy: a. any aircraft or other aerial device; b. hovercraft; c. any mechanically propelled watercraft; d. any mechanically propelled vehicle;
If my membership lapses what happens?
Liability and Personal Accident Insurance coverage becomes invalid the moment membership lapses. If a liability claim or incident occurs in the period that membership was valid then this is will be considered as long as the group RLSS UK insurance policy is maintained. In respect of any Personal Accident a claim must be made within 24 months of the Accident date
Am I covered to run additional activities such as water polo, swimming or lifesaving training using another organisations qualifications?
Unfortunately not. RLSS UK insurance insures RLSS UK recognised activity only. If you are running multiple activities, then you need to make sure you obtain suitable qualifications and insurances.
If you are a dual affiliated club then you need to make sure there is clear demarcation between your activities and that you have suitable affiliations to cover activity that is not recognised by RLSS UK, such as teaching swimming.
Is my equipment covered?
There is NO material damage cover for members or clubs equipment. Separate insurance will need to be sourced by the club.
Am I insured if I injure someone whilst carrying out lifesaving activity, and/or is the club insured if somebody is injured because of an activity being run by the club?
Providing recognised RLSS UK activity, led by appropriately qualified instructors, under RLSS UK guidelines is being carried out then insurance is applied. This includes appropriate risk assessment for your activity and operating within the geographical boundaries set out in the policy. Recording Risk Assessments and Risk managements are essential to evidence that you are managing your duty of care.
Am I insured if I damage property that I don’t own whilst carrying out lifesaving activity, and/or is the club insured if property not owned by the club is damaged during club activity?
Proving recognised RLSS UK activity, led by appropriately qualified instructors, under RLSS UK guidelines I being carried out then insurance is applied. This includes appropriate risk assessment for your activity.
The liability claim will consider allegations that you have negligently damaged property which is not in your custody or control. If the equipment is owned by you or in your custody or control separate property insurance will be required.
We move our activity around as a club, such as going to beach and open water venues, is the insurance valid anywhere or at a fixed venue?
Your club is covered across multiple venues. Operating in a venue requires a level of diligence to ensure that the activity can be run safely. This includes being aware of any PSOPs and carrying out the clubs own risk assessment for the activity they are providing.
On 24 July, Kalya Kandegoda Gamage from Sri Lanka was awarded the 2022 Mountbatten Medal, for saving the life of his younger brother.
The Mountbatten Medal is awarded annually for the most gallant rescue or rescue attempt, by an individual who has taken Royal Life Saving Society training, or holds or has held a lifesaving award delivered by a Royal Life Saving Society Member Organisation.
On 12 July, RLSS hosted an event at Marlborough House, home of the Commonwealth Secretariat, on Accelerating Action on Global Drowning Prevention. The event was run in partnership with the RNLI, and included presentations from RLSS, RNLI, and Dr David Meddings, Drowning Prevention Lead at the World Health Organisation. Shafkat Hossain from the Centre of Injury Prevention and Research Bangladesh, and Danielle Obe from The Black Swimming Association also presented, with comments from Dr. Joanne Vincenten from UNICEF. The event was well attended by staff from various High Commissions and Government offices in London, along with representatives from organisations who support the work of the RLSS and RNLI, and those who work within the drowning prevention community.
In August 2022, Kalya, 13 at the time, was with his family on remote Chrystalls Beach, New Zealand. He was paddling at the shoreline with his younger brother Kithmi, 11, when a large wave crashed into Kithmi and caused him to lose his footing, and the tide carried him out to sea. Kalya turned to his mum and said ‘OK Mum, I’m going out. I might not be back’ and dived into the 3 metre waves. Kithmi was approximately 60 metres from the shore and becoming very cold in the10 degree water. Kalya drew on the RLSS lifesaving training he had undertaken in Sri Lanka, and swam out and rescued his brother, and managed to get him back to shore.
To honour his courage, a special assembly was held at Kalya’s school, at which the Mayor of Clutha read an opening address, and Marie Baker and Judi Jessop from RLSS New Zealand presented Kalya with his award. The assembly was also attended by representatives from the local police, fire and ambulance services, who attended the rescue on the day, and the rescue helicopter Otago made a special landing in the school grounds.
On 25 July, Noah Winders from Ireland was awarded the 2022 Russell Medal, for his part in saving the life of a teammate.
RLSS’s Russell Medal is awarded for the most outstanding resuscitation or attempted resuscitation performed by a person under 21 years of age. Read the details of Noah’s rescue on p.50.
Noah was invited to a reception at the home of British Ambassador to Ireland, Paul Johnston, who presented Noah with the Russell Medal in front of his family and friends, and the teammate whose life he helped save.
If you know someone who should be recognised for a rescue attempt, you can find more information on our awards and how to nominate on the RLSS website.
*Membership benefits are limited
100% of all profit goes into helping us educate more people to enjoy water safely.
