Royal Life Saving Society UK IMPACT REPORT 2023
Welcome
Reflecting on the achievements showcased in our impact report is a powerful reminder of the remarkable breadth and depth of our Society’s work. Leading this organisation over the past five years has been an immense privilege, and witnessing the transformative impact of our initiatives has been truly inspiring. Our Society continues to set the benchmark for excellence, paving the way for others to follow in our footsteps.
Throughout the year, we have made significant investments in our research and insight programmes, solidifying our position as global leaders in water safety.
Our ultimate mission as a charity focused on water safety education hinges on the breadth of our reach. By prioritising children and young people, we lay the foundation for a safer future, evident in the engagement of over 1.85 million children during Drowning Prevention Week and the delivery of over 173,000 lifesaving qualifications and awards. Each of these achievements contributes to the safety of communities nationwide.
With the unwavering support of our dedicated volunteers, our community is poised for continued expansion.
As we look ahead, I am confident that our Society will remain a beacon of innovation and collaboration, providing a welcoming space for all who share our commitment to water safety.
Iam delighted to share and comment on our impact report for 2023 which shows the fantastic work and commitment of our volunteers, members and staff in ensuring our water safety message is spread far and wide.
Some achievements from the report...
Over 250 affiliated clubs offer courses and other services to their local areas.
Our Branches continue to work in their local communities offering support to clubs, our members and the public. The Save a Life series continues to grow, offering free classes at grassroots.
Financial stability is at the front of our thinking on the Trustees Board, and it is pleasing that our continued growth in this area is impressive.
Over 45 thousand Lifeguard qualifications were delivered by our trainers ensuring our presence in local facilities.
Drowning Prevention Week continues to grow with more schools involved.
Over 2.26 million children received free water safety messages in 2023.
The National Lifesaving Academy programme was a major highlight of the year, and its success will continue to grow in 2024.
None of this would be possible without the dedication of our members both volunteer and commercial with the support of our staff.
Executive SUMMARY
Our 2023 Impact Report presents our ongoing initiatives to reduce drowning and educate everyone to enjoy water safely. It focuses on the impact of our work and the innovative approaches to influence preventable but complex behaviours around water.
RLSS UK is at a pivotal point in its history as it navigates through complex economic, social and environmental dynamics.
The charity finds itself in a healthy financial position at the end of 2023 after years of hard work to stabilise and grow income so we can impact even more people through our world-leading education and training packages.
RLSS UK’s income model should be celebrated. Our growing commercial activity displayed through this report forms crucial elements of our water safety solutions, supporting the leisure industry, landowners and the outdoor education and activity sector operating for the benefit of public safety.
Financial stablisation has created the opportunities to progress in areas that are having the greatest impact, especially investing in initiatives that continue to enhance expertise and knowledge. This includes the exciting, research-led development of our NPLQ Gen 10 and initiatives to reach our most vulnerable populations.
We are mindful that not everyone wants to access aquatic activities and societal challenges and inequalities present different challenges for some. In our work we recognise disparities and are working tirelessly to address them, introducing a range of programmes and methods to reach new communities, including ensuring that our awards and qualifications, and associated assessments help these who need a little more support.
In 2023, RLSS UK authored and co-authored two ground-breaking research reports to further enhance the understanding of circumstances that lead to drowning so we can better guide the water safety industry and our own education and training packages. For the first time, we have been able to begin to understand the relationship between the challenges that some communities face in accessing water safety education and swimming and how this is impacting their risk of drowning. This is worrying and needs our continued attention and support.
Dedication to new education programmes and initiatives such as the launch of our Water Smart Schools programme and our innovative approach to Sports Awards all aid accessibility and most importantly fun ways to engage in water safety.
Our charity work is funded through our commercial and charitable activities, with fundraising and donations from our members, volunteers and supporters. All profits from RLSS UK Enterprises Limited, including our shop, training, consultancy, awards, and qualifications, are distributed to the charity. These funding sources allow RLSS UK to continue its charitable work for the UK and Irish communities.
2023 in numbers
99 lifesaving qualifications and awards on offer, ensuring everyone has the chance to continually enhance their water safety knowledge and skills.
354 delegates attended the RLSS UK Conference, sharing expertise and best practices in lifesaving and lifeguarding.
250+ RLSS UK affiliated clubs active across the UK and Ireland, ran by our fantastic volunteers, delivering skills for life.
14,205 RLSS UK members registered, representing our growing lifesaving community, supporting our lifesaving work.
45,832 RLSS UK lifeguard qualifications were awarded, ensuring that indoor pools, aqua parks, outdoor water venues and beaches are lifeguarded across the UK and Ireland.
50,506 online training sessions completed by lifesavers and lifeguards keeping up to date with their training and continued professional development.
48,005 Rookie Lifeguard awards presented, celebrating important milestones in children’s lifesaving ability.
377 members were recognised via our Honours programme, celebrating their outstanding contributions to the Society’s work.
13,275 hours spent volunteering by our passionate community of lifesavers and educators to amplify our work in communities.
129,000+ visits to the water safety pages on our website, providing important advice and guidance.
Whyourcharity is important
Each year between 2018 and 2022, an average of 304 people accidentally lost their lives to drowning in the UK and Ireland.
At the Royal Life Saving Society UK (RLSS UK), we believe that no one should drown. It is our vision to eliminate accidental drowning so that everyone can enjoy being in, on or near water safely.
We are the leading provider of lifeguarding qualifications and awards in the UK and Ireland, equipping individuals with the lifesaving knowledge and expertise to prevent drowning incidents and save lives.
In addition, our free educational materials and resources help teach children vital water safety skills, offering lifesaving knowledge to those in every community.
Our work is more important than ever. Rising costs have seen over 400 swimming pools close since 20101, meaning fewer people have access to indoor, lifeguarded water spaces. The number of children being able to swim when they leave primary school in England has significantly decreased, along with the ability to self-rescue from open water. And those from deprived backgrounds and ethnic minority groups are most impacted.2
Figures reported in our National Drowning Report UK (June 2023) highlight a 46% increase in the number of children drowning in the UK compared to the five-year average.
In addition, the latest thematic report from the National Child Mortality Database (NCMD) concluded that the risk of drowning was 3.5x higher for children of Black ethnicity compared to White, and 2.0x times higher for children from more deprived areas than less deprived areas.3
These worrying trends draw attention to the urgent need to address the increase in preventable deaths from drowning and the importance of addressing the disparities seen in some of our most vulnerable communities. At RLSS UK, we remain focused on achieving this goal.
Our Impact
In 2023, we awarded
173,000+ lifesaving qualifications and awards, which included our industry-leading National Pool Lifeguard Qualification (NPLQ)
The impact of our work is visible across all four UK nations and in Ireland.
Our work supports the availability of safe places to play and swim, ensuring competent lifeguard provision at venues, both indoors and outdoors, at locations across the UK and Ireland.
In addition, our work sees vital water safety education delivered across the UK and Ireland.
2.26m+
children were educated in water safety using our free materials and resources, thanks to support from educators and our community networks.
In our RLSS UK affiliated clubs, more than children enhanced their lifesaving skills building confidence and making friends.
6,250
Areas
Our Approach
Our impact is driven by our desire to ensure our lifesaving education and training are accessible to everyone, no matter their background.
In 2023, we launched our Pathway with the purpose of bringing to life the wealth of opportunities offered through a connection with RLSS UK. Following an initial interaction with our organisation, we want people to stay with us, grow their lifesaving knowledge and skills, and help save lives.
“I believe in what RLSS UK does and represents. The opportunities they give to young people, to achieve life-changing challenges - from being Rookie Lifeguards who then go on to be Lifeguards, and even on to teach and save more lives.”
- RLSS UK Member
The breadth of opportunities with RLSS UK is observed across age ranges and experiencethere is something for everyone.
Our Rookie Lifeguard award programme is designed for children as young as eight years old, and being an RLSS UK accredited Trainer Assessor can offer long-term career prospects.
RLSS UK Pathway
My children have learned lots of skills and knowledge that will stay with them for the rest of their lives.
– Parent of child in an RLSS UK Affiliated Club of children considerably increased their water safety knowledge after joining one of our RLSS UK affiliated clubs. 94%
Our members, on average, have spent seven years committed to our purpose, demonstrating the passion RLSS UK lifesavers have for ensuring everyone can enjoy water safely.
I feel part of RLSS UK through the community work and the opportunities, as well as the support.
– RLSS UK Member
Education, training, AND PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT
RLSS UK remains the leading provider of training in lifesaving and lifeguarding in the UK and Ireland, awarding 173,000+ qualifications and awards in 2023.
We qualified 42,994 lifeguards with our National Pool Lifeguard Qualification (NPLQ), the UK and Ireland’s leading lifeguard qualification. This award helps ensure lifeguards have the best possible knowledge and skills to help members of the public stay safe in a pool environment.
In addition, a further 1,508 Open Water Lifeguard (OWL) qualifications and 1,330 National Vocational Beach Lifeguard Qualifications (NVBLQ) were awarded. These bespoke qualifications ensure candidates have the right knowledge and skills to keep people safe on beaches and increasingly popular open water spaces, such as lakes and aqua parks.
Our Objective
To excel in the development of internationally recognised, creative education and training opportunities enhance everyone’s ability to save develop opportunities to embrace inclusivity, and well-being, and affordable access for everyone, unlock their potential.
RLSS UK continues to demonstrate its commitment to supporting its candidates’ personal development.
As part of being a leading qualification provider, we believe it’s vital that our training not only provides essential lifesaving knowledge but also gives candidates an opportunity to enhance transferrable skills that could be used in a future career.
98%
of those completing an RLSS UK qualification agreed that they learnt new skills that will be useful in their long-term career (n=1,887).
In 2023, more than
8,000
RLSS UK members benefited from our online learning (CPD) sessions, keeping our Instructors, Trainer Assessors and Lifeguards up to date with the latest technical skills and developments.
Did you know?
Every three minutes, RLSS UK lifeguards verbally intervene waterside to stop unsafe behaviours in the pool.4
creative opportunities that save lives, embrace diversity, and provide everyone, to help
It was an absolutely brilliant experience. I have a new respect for all the lifeguards who have looked after me over the years. I am so proud to be a lifeguard.
- NPLQ holder
Ensuring inclusivity in lifesaving and lifeguarding remained a firm focus.
At RLSS UK, we are passionate about ensuring that our lifesaving awards and qualifications are inclusive for everyone, no matter their background.
Based on our research, around 7% of the regulated qualifications that were awarded in 2023 involved some sort of reasonable adjustment to reflect the needs of the individual candidate. That’s approximately 6,300+ reasonable adjustments in total.
The most common adaptations resulting from a specific disability or educational need included having up to 25% extra time and the use of a reader.
95% of candidates who had reasonable adjustments put in place said the changes completely or mostly met their needs.
Course tutors were excellent, extremely knowledgeable and experienced in their field. It’s the most enjoyable first aid course I have ever attended, and I have attended many during my career!
- First Aid at Work Candidate
RLSS UK awarded
47,750+ first aid qualifications and bolt-on awards in 2023.
Almost 28,000 of these awards consisted of an AED bolt-on appended to one of our lifeguarding qualifications, helping ensure lifeguards are even more well-prepared for an emergency.
SPOTLIGHT ON...
RLSS UK is committed to ensuring that the NPLQ continues to lead the way in lifesaving and lifeguarding.
Having worked closely with the University of Chichester for the last five years on pioneering lifeguard research, and gathering our own feedback from lifeguards and operators, we launched our nextgeneration NPLQ in July 2023.
Building on the findings of our lifeguard research, the new NPLQ Gen 10 includes a wide range of updates, including:
• Focus on building lifeguards’ customer communication skills
• New scanning videos will enhance the opportunity to practice hazard identification
• Increased focus on a lifeguard’s mental health
• Updated guidance for operators on best practices
• Statutory updates
• Novel toolbox ideas for trainers, ensuring our training continues to engage all types of learners
We are 100% confident that NPLQ Gen 10 will not disappoint. It’s the best NPLQ yet, and we cannot wait for our candidates and pool operators to experience the improvements and enhancements we’ve worked tirelessly on over the last 12 months.
- Jo Talbot, Commercial Director at RLSS UK
We are proud to offer a range of lifesaving awards for children starting their lifesaving journey.
This includes our Rookie Lifeguard programme, progressing to our National Lifesaving Academy (NLA) scheme.
48,000+ Rookie Lifeguard awards were presented during the year, marking the start of a lifesaving journey for thousands in our RLSS UK affiliated clubs.
In addition, 2023 marked the final year of our Survive & Save series, with 3,842 awards issued as children completed the programme.
We also celebrated our first full year of the National Lifesaving Academy (NLA) programme, with 867 awards presented. This new, flexible approach to the initial stages of lifesaving has seen the following awards issued across pool, beach, and open water settings:
• 547 Bronze Lifesaving Certificates
• 273 Bronze Stars
• 47 Bronze Medallion awards
As part of the NLA programme, in December 2023, we launched our brand-new Sport Awards. These provide a fantastic opportunity for those aged 12 years and over to engage with Lifesaving Sport, the world’s only competitive sport with humanitarian origins.
Scanhere
to find out more.
SPOTLIGHT ON...
We officially launched our pioneering school accreditation programme, which offers high-quality, flexible water safety education to all children, whatever their background.
At RLSS UK, we believe that every young person should have access to water safety skills that can be used throughout their life, no matter their background. This knowledge will help keep them safe around the water and enrich their opportunities to engage in water-related activities and play.
In September 2023, Water Smart Schools was launched. Water Smart Schools is a flexible and adaptable course that can be applied to any learning environment with agility and ease, including primary, secondary, further and Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) settings.
The first of its kind, the programme allows schools to deliver the highest quality water safety education by fulfilling bronze, silver, or gold attainment levels, utilising our tried and tested, easy-to-deliver classbased lesson plans and associated resources.
In our pilot study, the proportion of children who were confident they knew what to do if faced with a dangerous situation in open water increased by a third after completing the Water Smart Schools programme.
Between September and December 2023,148 schools enrolled on the accreditation scheme from a mix of educational settings across all UK nations and Ireland, offering the chance to deliver water safety education to more than 56,000 students.
One of our pilot schools, Bishop Perowne CofE College, spoke of their experience of the programme: “Water safety is not just a lesson but a vital life skill for our community.”
“It has been an extremely positive experience so far, and our students have been very engaged in the conversations. Remaining safe around water all year round is an important issue, and we hope more secondary schools get involved and begin working with the RLSS UK.
The Water Smart Schools programme aligns perfectly with our PSHE curriculum intent, which is to provide children with the knowledge and skills to keep themselves happy, healthy and safe – as well as to prepare them for life and work during their time at Bishop Perowne CofE College and beyond.”
Consultancy, expertise AND PARTNERSHIP
The UK’s First National Drowning Report, authored by RLSS UK, highlights important trends in drowning fatalities.
In June 2023, RLSS UK held an event at Westminster to launch the inaugural Water Safety All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) Report, authored by RLSS UK on behalf of the National Water Safety Forum.
The drowning report drew attention to important trends in drowning fatalities, bringing in data from other robust sources to ensure the full matter was evident to the Government.
Readthe report here.
Our Objective
To create strategic partnerships share expertise and maximise our
Disparities in drowning risk were highlighted in our additional report co-authored by RLSS UK.
The addition of a Political Intern placed at the heart of Westminister continues to be an inspired move to ensure that RLSS UK is at the forefront of lobbying for change. Our additional work in Westminister included the progression of the Water Safety Education Bill.
RLSS UK was proud to co-author the National Child Mortality Database (NCMD)’s thematic report, ‘Deaths of children and young people due to traumatic incidents’, published July 2023.
For the first time, the report highlighted disparities in drowning risk based on income level and ethnicity, insights which are vital for lobbying the Government in the pursuit of ensuring everyone can enjoy water safely.
Awareness of drowning trends and interventions raised amongst NHS medics.
Our National Drowning Report and work with the NCMD have enabled us to drive awareness of important drowning trends amongst NHS health professionals and, critically, the possible interventions offered by RLSS UK to these.
and collaborations to our impact and reach.
Really informative seminars creating many talking points. Great to catch up with so many past faces and network.
- RLSS UK conference delegate
It was good to meet other lifesavers and to feel I had an input and positive contribution to help other lifesavers further their work and the work of the Society.
- RLSS UK conference delegate
93% of delegates attending our two-day conference in June 2023 rated it as ‘Excellent’ or ‘Good’. Our two-day conference offered attendees the chance to hear about the latest research and developments in water safety education and training, medical workshops, as well as the launch of our National Pool Lifeguard Qualification (NPLQ) Gen 10 pre-launch. There was also the opportunity to understand and develop more inclusive methods and practices as well as learn about all the progression opportunities across the organisation.
Following the conference,
98% were left feeling positive about RLSS UK.
57 mystery site visits conducted on behalf of leading holiday and water park operators,
safeguarding the welfare of thousands of holidaymakers and visitors.
Visits involved RLSS UK representatives attending sites as guests and assessing important aspects of water safety, ensuring standards are being adhered to and maintained at all times.
SPOTLIGHT ON...
RLSS UK showcases future thinking in an innovative, groundbreaking partnership with GLL and Lynxight.
This tripartite collaboration between RLSS UK, GLL, the UK’s leading leisure trust and largest public swimming pool operator, and pool safety Assisted Lifeguard Technology company, Lynxight, aimed to explore how technology could enhance safety and support lifeguards and pool operators, thoroughly testing the Lynxight system, with a view to revolutionising how lifeguards and operators safeguard pool users across the UK and Ireland.
“After several years investigating how technology and Artificial Intelligence (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.” Robert Gofton, CEO of RLSS UK
The system complements the highly skilled work of trained lifeguards. 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.
During a successful six-month trial by GLL, they were able to adapt, test and refine the Lynxight system to meet the stringent needs of UK pool operators. The data generated also helped to optimise swimming pool operations, including realtime insights into pool usage, swimmer numbers, and detailed data for each lane or pool area. The positive results and feedback from the trial generated immense interest, with GLL planning to install the Lynxight system in several of their swimming pools.
RLSS in 2023, people
In the past growth and 44 Our consultancy locations projects open water own/manage coast.
An estimated 1.3m aqua park visitors benefited from enhanced water safety due to the RLSS UK safety accreditation.
RLSS UK is the appointed auditor for the Aqua Parks Association UK and Ireland, inspecting parks that have signed up for the scheme against the standards set. In 2023, 33 UK and Irish aqua parks were given the RLSS UK aquapark accreditation, with visitor numbers totaling an estimated 1.3m.
RLSS UK Consultancy projects double 2023, further expanding the number of people who are kept safe through our work.
past three years, RLSS UK Consultancy has seen significant growth in its number of projects, from five in 2021, up to 21 in 2022 44 in 2023.
consultancy work is varied, and we cover a wide range of locations across the UK. For example, in 2023, we completed projects including water safety risk assessments for indoor pools and water venues, local authorities and private landowners who own/manage bodies of water, as well as water safety audits on the
If your organisation is considering the RLSS UK Consultancy service, quite frankly, do it!
- Captain Georgina Carlo-Paat MBE, Ilfracombe Harbour Master, North Devon District Council
SPOTLIGHT ON...
Research partnership revolutionises lifeguarding guidance.
In June 2023, the University of Chichester, in partnership with RLSS UK, published findings from a five-year study evaluating the effectiveness of the 10:20 system of bather supervision, resulting in changes to our recommended lifeguard scanning approach.
The research method tested the traditional 10:20 scanning system with a natural scan:20 approach.
In the 10-second scanning condition, lifeguards were instructed to “use the 10:20 system of supervision from your lifeguard qualification. Ensure that you supervise the whole zone. Scan the zone every 10-seconds whilst supervising the pool”.
In the natural scan condition, lifeguards were told, “While you were taught the 10:20 system of supervision during your lifeguard qualification, we have no evidence that this instruction is better than others. You must ensure that you supervise the whole zone and scan it using a natural scan method that feels comfortable to you whilst supervising the pool. Ensure that you supervise the whole zone.”
The results demonstrated that there was no significant difference in the percentage of hazards detected in the 10 second scan strategy condition compared to the natural scan condition.
However, they did show that it is not actually possible for lifeguards to scan the full zone every 10 seconds despite explicit instructions to do so. As a result, the study concluded that the 10-second scanning rule should no longer be advocated as an effective scanning strategy.
Findings highlighted several benefits to asking lifeguards to adopt a natural scanning approach rather than the 10:20 approach, including:
• Similar hazard detection capability
• Enhanced pool coverage
• Lower perceived mental demand
As a result of the findings, RLSS UK has replaced 10:20 with the System for Supervising Swimming Pools (Natural Scan: 20) within our latest National Pool Lifeguard Qualification (NPLQ).
For more information on this and our other academic research,
Building our COMMUNITY
Soaring member numbers grow our lifesaving community.
Our members play a critical role in helping to support our work, raising awareness of water safety, and sharing lifesaving knowledge and skills in our communities. The number of RLSS UK members rose by more than 50% to 14,205 in 2023.
I think everyone should be able to enjoy water safely. We (our lifesaving family) help others to learn new skills that will develop themselves as individuals, as well as equip them with skills to save someone’s life. We matter.
– RLSS UK Member
377 RLSS UK Members
were recognised for their outstanding contributions to the society’s work.
Our Honours event recognised RLSS UK members on merit, for long service and via special awards, each of which aims to salute the significant impact of volunteers’ in educating and training more people to enjoy water safely across the UK and Ireland.
Our Objective
To build a sustainable, active, and thriving RLSS UK community.
RLSS UK’s first member network was created, working towards a more inclusive environment for all our members.
RLSS UK is committed to ensuring everyone feels welcome and included in our society. The LGBTQ+ is the first of what we aspire will be many networks aimed at ensuring the voices of all our members are heard within the organisation.
sustainable, thriving community.
A record 21 clubs joined our lifesaving community.
RLSS UK has 250+ affiliated clubs. Clubs run in local communities and aim to teach children from the age of eight vital lifesaving knowledge and skills.
Being involved in one of our affiliated clubs is hugely beneficial for children who love making new friends and learning new skills.
It is good fun; I’ve made some new friends and learnt lots of new things about how to stay safe in the water and how to help other people.
– RLSS UK Club Member, aged 8
97% of club parents are confident their child can self-rescue in an emergency
We’re committed to helping develop and grow our affiliated clubs to become more sustainable and successful.
In addition to the practical benefits provided via club membership, such as insurance and technical advice, the Club Support team is on hand to assist in other areas, such as marketing and communications, fundraising and creating an inclusive environment for club members.
My kids do several other activities each week, and this is by far the best – it’s great value for money, the volunteers are really friendly, and it’s teaching a life skill.
- Parent of child in RLSS UK Lifesaving Club
SPOTLIGHT ON...
David Fielding, RLSS UK Volunteer
I first got into lifesaving after attending a canoeing course at Weymouth Outdoor Education Centre in 1996, and went on to join Weymouth Canoe Lifeguards. I really enjoyed learning lifesaving skills and patrolling the beach as a volunteer lifeguard and in 2000, I went to Southampton University where I joined the lifesaving club and was introduced to the world of competitive lifesaving –even attending the Interclub World Championships in Italy.
In my second year, I got voted on to the Southampton Uni Life Saving Club (LSC) Committee and in later years, the Club Captain – and that marked the start of my volunteering journey for RLSS UK. Like many grassroots RLSS UK volunteers, my main motivation for serving on the committee was a sense of pride in my club – I just loved lifesaving and wanted to give something back.
After graduating, I moved to Bristol and joined Keynsham Life Saving Club (LSC). As a qualified lifesaving Trainer Assessor, I offered to help teach at the club and eventually stepped into the role of Chair. It was very satisfying to see how little changes helped turn the club around. Soon, we were taking lifesavers to competitions and even running our own open-water training sessions!
During a typical week volunteering for RLSS UK, I teach every Wednesday at Bristol Life Saving Club (LSC) for an hour, and two hours on a Sunday at Keynsham LSC. I also spend several hours on all the behind-the-scenes admin that make the clubs run. I’ve just finished running a film festival which raised over £500 for the club, and Keynsham LSC has just run a really successful Rookie Festival which was attended by 56 Rookies from four local clubs. Logging my hours with the new RLSS UK William Henry Award scheme on Tahdah is addictive – I clocked up nearly 500 hours last year, so I hope to receive my Bronze milestone pin badge soon!
I’ve made some amazing connections through lifesaving, I’ve travelled to clubs in Germany and led a group of lifesavers on a trip to Iceland. I have some amazing memories from the Iceland trip – from navigating through tunnels beneath a search-andrescue training ground, white water rafting, and attending the Icelandic search and rescue youth jamboree.
More recently, I’ve been blown away by the support and enthusiasm of the volunteers at Bristol LSC. I popped a message on the pool’s Facebook group asking if anyone would be interested in setting up a lifesaving club and I was expecting maybe one or two people, but by the end of the night we had a Chair, Secretary and Treasurer, and a whole army of volunteer instructors! Bristol LSC has been running for less than a year, but it’s already got over 20 regular members, and they recently took four teams to their first lifesaving competition.
I’m really fortunate to be surrounded by a strong network of volunteers across the West Region who are always ready to offer practical support and advice. Currently, I am the chair of Keynsham LSC and an instructor. We’ve got around 30 members aged eight to eighteen. During our weekly training sessions, our members learn how to deal with life-threatening first-aid emergencies such as choking, bleeding and medical shock; and how to help someone who’s fallen unconscious or has stopped breathing. They also learn specialised water-rescue skills, learning how to keep themselves safe and how to assist swimmers in difficulty.
Our members can work towards Royal Life Saving Society UK awards, including Rookie and the National Lifesaving Academy programme. Club members also have the opportunity to enter lifesaving competitions at other clubs – which is a great way to practice real-life skills in simulated incidents.
I’m really proud that we’ve built up the skills and qualifications we need to run our own open-water events so our members can put their skills into practice in a real environment. During our summer term, we train in the local river and we also travel to the beach once a year to train alongside Bournemouth Lifeguard Corps.
Having started as a beach lifeguard, I am really passionate about open-water lifesaving – our trip to Bournemouth is always a highlight of the lifesaving year. I also really enjoy taking young people to competitions – it’s a great way to get to know our young people and I love watching them grow in confidence. We normally compete at university
lifesaving competitions run by BULSCA, which means that we’re typically up against much older and more experienced competitors. We don’t fare so well in the races, but we can hold our own in the Simulated Emergency Response Competitions!
Volunteering with a local lifesaving club is really rewarding. You’ll need a bit of perseverance because it can take a while to get qualified as an instructor and get all your DBS checks back, but it’s definitely worth it! If instructing isn’t for you, why not see whether you can help out behind the scenes? A dependable committee is an essential foundation for any club. If you can’t commit long-term, perhaps there’s a shortterm project you can take on – perhaps applying for a grant or revamping the club’s social media? However you choose to get involved, I can guarantee you won’t regret it!
More than £50,000 was fundraised by our amazing supporters through a mix of challenges, such as Make a Splash, corporate sponsorships, and other donations, funding us to provide even more people with access to our water safety advice and education.
11 events and festivals were safeguarded by the RLSS UK Water Safety team, keeping more than half a million people safe whilst having fun in, on and around the water.
RLSS UK provided teams at seven sporting events, including the world-famous Henley Regatta and the UK's largest open water swimming event, the Great North Swim. Lifeguard cover was also provided at four music festivals, including Secret Garden Party and Wilderness.
36 #EverydayHeroes were recognised for their heroic interventions to assist someone in trouble.
Our youngest lifesaver was only four years old, and just shows that it’s never too early to learn how to be a lifesaver and learn what to do in an emergency.
ROOKIE LIFEGUARD
Evie Hayworth is one of 2023’s #EverydayHeroes
204 William Henry volunteering awards have been presented, celebrating more than 13,000 hours and expanding our community footprint.
Hours were registered for a broad range of activities, including delivering practical and class-based education, representing RLSS UK at a community event, delivering water safety or first aid education in schools and facilitating DPW campaign activity.
Impact Report 2023
SPOTLIGHT
ON...
Gillian Shaw, Make a Splash Participant 2023
Gillian was a regular swimmer until her cancer diagnosis and treatment in 2021. RLSS UK’s Make a Splash Challenge reignited her passion for water whilst raising funds to educate others on water safety.
“In July 2021, I was diagnosed with breast cancer –completely out of the blue. Prior to this, I had been a regular swimmer, swimming two or three times a week.
“Following surgery and my radiotherapy, my motivation for getting myself back into the swimming pool had gone – I felt exhausted. I would do a session or so, but I just couldn’t get back into my previous routine of swimming regularly.
“My daughter brought Make a Splash to my attention, and something clicked. My thought process was that if I committed and friends and family supported me, that would be the driver to get
me back into a regular swimming routine – and it has worked!
“I was overwhelmed by the level of support from my nearest and dearest, and that was my driving force to succeed. This kept me going during the especially tough times after my enthusiasm was thwarted following a bike accident – which left me with two broken ribs, a broken clavicle and a snapped ligament. Surgery to repair my shoulder meant no swimming for several months, so I further challenged myself by completing my challenge in half the time I’d originally set myself.
“With trepidation, I went to my local pool, not having swum for three months, and over the course of three weeks, I very proudly completed my goal. I feel much stronger being back in the pool, and my efforts have raised money for such a deserving cause.
“I would recommend anyone to do this – it has motivated me to do something to help others and has reinvigorated my enthusiasm for swimming, not once but twice!”
Gillian swam 25km for her Make a Splash challenge, raising £1,338 in total – which is enough to teach 17 classes or more than 500 children vital water safety skills.
We had 1,000+ lifesaving sport entrants
displaying their incredible lifesaving skills at RLSS UK events.
Lifesaving Sport is an important vehicle for celebrating the incredible skills that exist in our communities and encouraging others to get involved.
The National Speed Lifesaving Championships took place in March in Liverpool, whilst the National Lifesaving Championships in November took place in Leeds. Here, 217 finalists competed in individual events, whilst teamwork was pushed to the limit in our National Club Simulated Emergency Response Competition (SERC).
154 outdoor swimmers
took part in our Open Water Festival in June, showcasing the joy of swimming outdoors.
On 4 June, RLSS UK held an Open Water Festival in Manvers Lake, South Yorkshire, attracting 180 participants and lots more supporters on the day. It was a great opportunity to see people enjoying water safely whilst maximising the benefits of swimming outdoors.
I thought it was very well organised, the timings were good, and the staff were friendly and helpful. I thought it was a great event and hope you do more events like this.
- Open Water Festival participant
I felt the event was very well organised and managed. Felt very safe.
- Open Water Festival participant
Our flagship Drowning Prevention Week (DPW) campaign saw a 50%+ increase in the number of children educated in water safety vs 2022.
An estimated 1.85m+ children benefited from being taught using our free educational resources accessed by clubs, branches, volunteers, educators and leisure centres delivering important water safety messages.
Our new Water Safety Code animation offered a novel and exciting way for parents to talk to their children about water safety and gained more than 93,000 views across social media.
Twice as many people reached on social media via our #Don’tDrinkandDrown campaign, further amplifying our important message.
This year’s activity was supported by our engaging new ‘Be a Mate’ graphics, which helped create a stronger impact and buzz on social media, outperforming previous years.
In our communities, our fantastic volunteers hosted their own mini events – helping to raise the campaign profile across different areas of the country.
View our Water Safety Code animation here!
Thankyou
to all our supporters and partners
Where our purpose is similar and our values aligned, we strive to create strategic partnerships and collaborations which enable us to share expertise to ensure we maximise our impact and reach.
We’d like to say thank you to all the partners who worked alongside us in 2023.
Our strategic partners complement our delivery with their products, services, representatives, and a different strategic viewpoint, all with one aim – to prevent drowning.
• Angling Trust
• Black Owned Swim-School
• Black Swimming Association
• British Triathlon
• British University Lifesaving Clubs’ Association (BULSCA)
• Canal & River Trust
• Child Bereavement UK
• Eagle Eye Innovations Ltd.
• GoodSAM
• HM Coastguard
• Institute of Swimming
• Leisure Loop Recycle Scheme
• Laerdal
• National Child Mortality Database (NCMD)
• National Fire Chiefs’ Council
• RLSS Commonwealth
• Royal National Lifeboat Institute (RNLI)
• Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA)
• Safe Water Sports
• Swim England
• Swim Ireland
• Surfers Against Sewage
• Surfing England
• Surf Life Saving Association Wales (SLSA Wales)
• Surfwell
• The National Water Safety Forum
• The Wetsuit Factory
• University of Chichester
• Water Babies
• Water Safety Scotland
• Water Safety Wales
Our Water Safety Partners
helped ensure the RLSS UK name is synonymous with high-standard products and services, industry innovation, and an ongoing dedication to educating people about water safety and promoting safe water-based activities.
• dryrobe®
• Loan A Lifeguard
• Port-Safety
• Reach and Rescue
• Red Paddle
• Red Rescue
• Ruth Lee Ltd
• Samurai
• The Play Inspection Company
• Triton Training
• Wibit Sports
We worked with an impressive list of commercial partners to help improve water safety and make a positive difference to health and safety standards across the UK and Ireland.
• 4Leisure Recruitment
• Active Training Network
• Bristol Maritime
• Bourne Leisure
• Carnival UK
• David Lloyd Leisure
• East Riding of Yorkshire Council
• Everybody
• Everyone Active
• Fife Sports and Leisure Trust
• Freedom Leisure
• Fusion Lifestyle
• GLL
• Inspiring Healthy Lifestyles
• Kingswood
• Mosaic
• Neilson Holidays
• Northumbria University
• Parkdean Resorts
• Parkwood Leisure
• Places For People
• Serco Leisure
With the help of our members, volunteers, supporters, and partners, we’ve been able to achieve a lot in 2023. But there is still much to do to ensure that everyone – from every community – has the potential to access vital water safety education and enjoy water safely.
Glossary and References
RLSS UK, Red Hill House, 227 London Road, Worcestershire WR5 2JG W. rlss.org.uk | E. info@rlss.org.uk | T. 0300 3230 096
Registered Charity (England and Wales 1046060, Scotland SC037912). Private Limited by Guarantee Company (3033781). Fundraising Standards Board Member.