LIFESAVERS rlss.org.uk | @rlssuk
Issue 122 | May 2025
Together, we can educate everyone to enjoy water safely
In this issue: Our Impact in 2024 | RLSS UK on Tour | Drowning Prevention Week
CLOTHING Get your Rookie Lifeguard geared up and ready to make a splash! Designed exclusively for Rookie Lifeguards, our T-shirts, hoodies, and towel robes will ensure they look the part while completing their Rookie Lifeguard programme. These items are also available to purchase as a cost-saving bundle through RLSS UK Shop!
shop.rlss.org.uk
Junior Rescue Boards
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The Junior Red Rescue boards from our Water Safety Partner - Red Rescue, have been expertly designed for the next generation of lifesavers. These boards are perfect for increasing your child’s confidence in the water so they can develop their water safety and rescue skills. Order now through the RLSS UK Shop!
President’s Introduction
PRESIDENT’S
COLUMN
with Deborah Hunt
Hi fellow Lifesavers, It has been an exciting start to the year as our new CEO Simmy Akhtar has joined us. Simmy and the Board of Trustees are working hard to make changes that will benefit the charity and ensure our important messages are delivered and heard. In this latest edition of Lifesavers magazine, you will find details about our upcoming elections on page 26. You will be able to read more about the vacancies on the board and consider if you have the relevant expertise to apply and play your part as a Trustee or Deputy President. Trustees must abide by collective responsibility on the Board of Trustees. I would enjoy talking with members who are interested in joining us on the Trustee Board, so please feel free to contact me with any questions. I have another five months to serve as your President, so if you have an event that you would like me to attend, send me a message and I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible. Join our online lifesaving community, share your stories, read news, and keep up to date. Search for RLSS UK. LIFESAVERS is the magazine of the Royal Life Saving Society UK (RLSS UK). Please send your news, stories, and photographs to marketing@rlss.org.uk
As always, thank you for everything you do, because you are the charity.
Deborah President RLSS UK
RLSS UK is a company Limited by Guarantee. Registered Charity No’s 1046060 and SCO037912.
rlss.org.uk | 0300 323 0096
Designed and produced by the Royal Life Saving Society UK © RLSS UK 2025 All rights reserved.
LIFESAVERS // May 2025
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CONTENTS
03 06 07 09 10 12 14 15 16 18 20 22
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President’s Introduction Introducing RLSS UK’s New CEO News in Brief A round-up of RLSS UK news from across the UK and Ireland RLSS Commonwealth The latest updates from the RLSS Commonwealth Team Impact Report The society’s achievements in 2024 Drowning Prevention Week 2025 Get ready to support our flagship water safety campaign! Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Update Recent updates from RLSS UK to champion EDI Why I Volunteer Hear from Lynn Lawrence on her voluntary work in Scotland William Henry Award Some highlights from our dedicated volunteers
24 25 26 28 29 30 31 32
Splash Safety at Your Pad Our water safety at home campaign bounces back for its second year
33
Rookie Rescue Skills A unique opportunity to upskill and teach lifesaving skills to children with disabilities
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Water Smart Schools Hear from some of the latest schools to achieve our award-winning Water Smart Schools accreditation
Everyday Heroes Meet those who have performed incredible rescues Don’t Drink & Drown Did you spot our brilliant new campaign video? Elections Deputy President and Trustee vacancies on the board RLSS UK on Tour Find out where and when you can meet RLSS UK staff as part of their tour of the UK and Ireland Aqua Parks Presenting RLSS UK Approved Aqua Parks to visit this summer Swimming Pool Consultancy Learn more about RLSS UK’s Swimming Pool Safety Services Pool Technology Exploring the benefits of Assisted Lifeguard Technology (ALT) in Mildenhall ATC and ATP Survey Results An insight into our recent survey plus improvements to our customer services for ATC and ATP users Lifeguard Survey Results The most up-to-date findings of lifeguard perceptions in the UK First Aid Essentials Exciting developments with the launch of RLSS UK’s Outdoor First Aid and Emergency Outdoor First Aid
Contents
36 37 38 40 42 44 46
NWSMP DEFRA Understanding the importance of water safety for businesses RLSS UK Training Discover the extensive range of industry courses available to book
48 50
Compliance Advice and support for RLSS UK ATC/ATPs
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Water Safety Partners Meet the latest Water Safety Partners supporting our work
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Careers Pathways available to individuals after receiving their RLSS UK qualifications Lifesaving Sport Update Excitement is building for the RLSS Commonwealth Lifesaving Championships 2025, to be held on home soil in Swansea! National Speed Lifesaving Championships Hear how the athletes got on with our round-up of #Speeds2025
53 54 56
Club Updates Stories from our brilliant clubs across the country Club Check Showcasing Ely Rookies and highlighting the next application window to level up your club BULSCA Updates from our university clubs across the UK GoodSAM Working together to make the world’s largest register of water rescue equipment! Westminster Update Our latest work in Government Strategic Partnerships See more of our work to expand RLSS UK’s messaging with partners! Fundraising Shining a spotlight on impressive fundraising endeavours and other opportunities to donate
FRONT COVER IMAGE: New award available! We’re excited to share our newest award, Rookie Rescue Skills, which has been created to give children with disabilities the opportunity to learn vital lifesaving skills in a fun and accessible way!
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CEO Update
Simmy Akhtar RLSS UK CEO It is an honour and a privilege to have joined the team at RLSS UK in January 2025. At the end of 2024, I stepped down as CEO of Air Ambulances UK to take the helm in this lifesaving sector. I am excited to lead this organisation in our efforts to save more lives and educate everyone to enjoy water safely in collaboration with our members and volunteers across the UK and Ireland. Since arriving, I have enjoyed meeting and hearing from trustees, staff, members, volunteers, and partners across the water safety landscape. It is truly inspiring to see the hard work being undertaken to ensure everyone has access to water safety education, regardless of their background. The stories in this magazine are a testament to the commitment we all share to advocate for and promote safety in our communities. One of my first engagement opportunities was attending the Integrating Drowning Prevention and Education event alongside the RLSS Commonwealth Team. It was great to network with committed individuals, hear from Jonathon Bruce, the Youth Trustee for the Commonwealth, and discuss successful drowning prevention and education interventions together with the need for more to be done to save lives across the world. In this edition, you can read about some remarkable cases from members of the public who have supported RLSS UK’s mission. These include Lynn and her Save a Life courses in Scotland (page 15) and impressive rescues by our #EverydayHeroes (page 24). It is impossible to include all such cases in one edition, and I want to share how incredibly grateful I am to all the individuals who go above and beyond to support RLSS UK in our mission. RLSS UK is a unique charity in that it is also a nationwide leader in providing awards and qualifications to lifeguards and lifesavers. On page 42, you can read more about the incredible career progression options available to individuals after completing their RLSS UK qualification. It is encouraging to hear about the doors that open, including around the world, when people choose to complete our lifesaving awards. It was great to attend the launch of our Swimming Pool Supervision Technology Guidance on behalf of the guidance working group and hear more about the role of technology in supporting our lifeguards; you can find the link to this free guidance on page 31. I was delighted to meet the many members from across the UK and Ireland along with the talented athletes who recently competed in the National Speed Lifesaving Championships 2025. The dedication to passing on lifesaving skills to future generations was clear to see and further highlighted the importance of the work that we all do. Now, anticipation is high as we approach the RLSS Commonwealth Lifesaving Championships 2025 in Swansea. It is an incredible privilege to host and be part of this prestigious event. I hope you will be able to join me in supporting our home nation teams this summer. Finally, I would like to thank you and all our stakeholders for your vital contributions to supporting our lifesaving cause, and I look forward to meeting many more of you as the year progresses.
Simmy Akhtar CEO, RLSS UK
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News in Brief
NEWS in brief
RLSS UK wins big at the ukactive awards! RLSS UK was announced as Education Provider of the Year Award winners at the ukactive awards in October last year. The ukactive awards are recognised as one of the industry’s most prestigious awards, showcasing the sectors progress and growth. The awards application focussed on the NPLQ Gen 10 resources and the impact that it has had on the industry and globally. On the night, RLSS UK staff celebrated with other ukactive award winners, many of whom RLSS UK is proud to work with.
Christopher Durnford completes his final training session in South Africa Christopher Durnford, who received his first RLSS Teachers Certificate in 1975, ran his last voluntary training session in St Helena, South Africa in December. Visiting the island for the first time in 2008, and supporting his son and daughter-in-law to settle there, he began offering training on CPR and further lifesaving skills to members on the island. He began by supporting pool staff at the local outdoor swimming pool in Jamestown, but thanks to word of mouth he soon started giving training sessions to emergency service crews and government departments, from Customs and Excise to the Immigration Service. On Chris’ most recent visit, he gave away all his books and equipment to support the local community and further their training. Kit included NPLQ books, manikins, rescue aids and a Ferno Spinal Board which was kindly donated by Godolphin School Salisbury Pool. The local paramedic team also received their own Training AED. Well done, Chris!
Grantham Life Saving Club celebrates its 50th year Grantham Life Saving Club (GLSC) celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2024, a milestone delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Founded in 1971 by Peggy Fryer, Nora English, and Cecil and Edna Fountain, the club has trained hundreds of individuals in vital lifesaving skills. A special awards ceremony honoured the club’s achievements, with Barbara Rowlandson receiving the Brian Hubbard Dedication Award. The GLSC offers weekly training sessions for Rookie Lifeguards and National Lifesaving Academy. Beyond training, GLSC plays a crucial role in the community by providing pool lifeguards and participating in local events.
Despite challenges, the club’s unwavering commitment has ensured its continued success. With a recent influx of new volunteers and a generous grant, GLSC is continuing to go from strength to strength as the last remaining lifesaving club in Lincolnshire. LIFESAVERS // May 2025
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News in Brief
Standout teenagers recognised at Cwmbran Lions Lifesaving Club Seren and Sophie received their NLA Distinctions after successfully completing their Bronze certificate, Beach Bronze Cross and Beach Bronze Medallion awards. The pair have shown exceptional commitment and dedication to their club, having completed 30 hours of voluntary work as Assistant Trainers for Rookie Lifeguards and representing the club at Cardiff Gala. The awards were presented by the Chairman of Croesyceiliog & Llanyrafon Community Council, Stewart Matthews.
Chris Deering’s committed service to RLSS UK Becoming an active member at Bexley Life Saving Club in 1982, ‘a true-life saver’ are the words that come to mind for members of the Kent Branch, as they reflect on Chris’ impressive dedication to lifesaving and lifeguarding following his recent retirement. In 1998, Chris became one of the first Save a Baby’s Life (SABL) trainers and was instrumental in the programme’s outreach across Kent. He took up the challenge of teaching as many parents, relatives and health visitors who cared for young children as possible – all for free. This is an ethos which remains throughout the Kent Branch which continues to run 30 sessions every year, thanks to his support in sourcing and delivering SABL sessions at venues. Chris partnered with Fred Rowland and together they went all over Kent and south-east London - a double act which was hard to match.
Beyond volunteering with RLSS UK, he also volunteered with Bexley Beavers Disability Swimming Club, to support the provisions of lifeguard services to facilitate the use of the local pool and reduce pool hire costs for them. In 2012, Chris received the Pat O’Connell Memorial Award for Outstanding Contributions to Lifesaving in Kent and became the Honorary Kent Branch Life President in 2015. Reflecting on Chris’ committed service, Paul Paulding, Chair of RLSS Kent Branch, said: “Never one to seek praise or recognition, he deserves every ounce of acknowledgment the Kent Branch and the society can bestow upon him. “As an individual volunteer, alongside his history of promoting the work of the society within the branch, he is a role model and sets a standard we can all aspire to, but that only few will achieve.”
Thanet Lifeguard Club’s Annual Winter Swim Meeting at the Pavilion near Viking Bay in Kent, 25 members of Thanet Lifeguard Club braved water temperatures of 7°c during the festive period, following a safety brief. Well-deserved hot beverages were served after the dip and club President Martin Fossey presented medals to all who took part. A fun morning was had by all and talks of this year’s swim are already underway!
RLSS UK pays tribute to Charlie Ramsay RLSS UK Trustees and staff shared their condolences and reflected on the dedicated service of Charlie Ramsay, after he passed away in February, at the age of 81. A former RLSS UK Trustee, Charlie was an inspirational individual who supported with the development of the first National Pool Lifeguard and Trainer Assessor qualifications. He will continue to positively contribute towards our RLSS UK community and Trainer Assessors to come as he features in our teaching materials and manuals.
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RLSS Commonwealth
NEWS RLSS HOSTS REGIONAL DROWNING PREVENTION WORKSHOPS Following the receipt of a generous sponsorship programme between Laerdal Medical, Navarino (a maritime technology company) and RLSS itself, 24 Mini Anne Plus (10) manikin kits were purchased to be distributed to 25 RLSS members in lower resourced settings. As a result of these donations, in October 2024, RLSS hosted two regional workshops, one in Delhi, India, in partnership with the Rashtriya Life Saving Society (India) and one in Johannesburg in partnership with Lifesaving South Africa. The main aim of the workshops was to bring together member organisations to foster greater sharing of knowledge, skills and expertise and build their respective drowning prevention capacity and capability. There have been some great examples of the manikin kits being put to good use already by all those members who received them.
WHO GLOBAL STATUS REPORT ON DROWNING PREVENTION In December, the World Health Organization (WHO) launched the WHO Global Status Report on Drowning Prevention 2024. The report shows that the rate of deaths from drowning dropped by 38% between the year 2000 and 2021. Yet drowning remains a major public health issue, with more than 300,000 fatalities recorded in 2021. Drowning predominately impacts children and young people and more than nine in ten deaths occur in low and middle-income countries. The report presents a benchmark against which to track drowning prevention progress over time – at global, regional and national levels - and to galvanize meaningful multisectoral collaboration within governments, organisations, and societies across the United Nations. You can find the full report here: www.who.int/teams/socialdeterminants-of-health/safetyand-mobility/global-report-ondrowning-prevention
INTERNATIONAL DAY OF EDUCATION International Day of Education was celebrated on Friday 24th of January, and to mark this day the RLSS hosted, in partnership with the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), an event in London focusing on ‘Integrating Drowning Prevention and Education’. The event sought to increase awareness and encourage action on the need to integrate drowning prevention interventions in education initiatives. There was a strong turnout and participants from organisations working with the RNLI and RLSS, alongside representatives from High Commissions in London were in attendance.
READ MORE AT WWW.RLSSCOMMONWEALTH.ORG/NEWS
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Impact Report
Our Impact in 2024 15,382
46,005
49,566
278
262
8,672
85
336
RLSS UK members registered, representing our growing lifesaving community, and supporting our lifesaving work.
online training sessions completed by lifesavers and lifeguards, keeping them up to date with their continued professional development.
schools signed up to deliver our Water Smart Schools programme, equipping pupils with classroom-based vital water safety knowledge.
lifesaving qualifications and awards available, ensuring everyone has the chance to continually enhance their water safety knowledge and skills.
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Rookie Lifeguard awards presented, celebrating important milestones in children’s lifesaving ability.
RLSS UK affiliated clubs active across local communities, delivering lifesaving activities and building rescue skills for thousands of young lifesavers.
volunteering hours registered by our passionate community of lifesavers and educators, promoting our work and sharing water safety education with their communities.
members recognised via our Honours programme, celebrating their outstanding contributions to the society’s work.
Impact Report
Our work had an impact across all four UK nations and in Ireland. We supported the availability of safe places to swim and play in the water, and promoted competent lifeguard provision across indoor and outdoor venues. We actively encouraged more children and young people receive vital water safety education through their homes, schools and local leisure facilities.
6,950
In our RLSS UK affiliated clubs, more than
AREAS WHERE RLSS UK WAS ACTIVE IN 2024
children developed their lifesaving skills, building confidence and making friends.
160,000+ In 2024, we awarded
lifesaving qualifications and awards, which included our industry leading National Pool Lifeguard Qualification (NPLQ).
Scan HERE to view the full report or visit www.rlss.org.uk/rlss-ukimpact-report-2024
1.48m
An estimated
children were taught about water safety using our free, downloadable materials and resources, thanks to support from educators and our community networks. LIFESAVERS // May 2025
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Drowning Prevention Week 2025
DROWNING PREVENTION WEEK 14-21 June 2025
Drowning Prevention Week (DPW) is our biggest campaign of the year, targeting families, carers, teachers and instructors of children aged five to 15 years old with the aim of educating them about how to enjoy water safely. Deliberately timed just ahead of the school summer holidays, when children spend more time outdoors, the 2025 campaign will run from 14 – 21 June. Please mark the week in your calendars and keep reading for ideas of how to get involved! In 2024, we celebrated a decade of DPW, launching the campaign with a montage of your fantastic photos and videos from years gone by! Our free resources were used to educate an estimated 1.25+ million children last year – so thank you for helping us to start the second decade of our campaign on a high! No child should drown and with the right water safety education, such as knowledge of the Water Safety Code, accidental drownings are preventable. Please help us to spread the word this year and encourage everyone to have the water safety conversation with children. We value your support as ever.
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Drowning Prevention Week 2025
ways to support
We know our members and supporters are brilliant in helping to share our water safety messaging during Drowning Prevention Week, and all year-round. This year, we would love for you to continue to help us share our advice far and wide.
1
Share and engage – Share and engage with our posts on social media. This helps us to reach as many people as possible whilst ensuring that people connect DPW with our charity.
2
Make use of your connections – Do you know any influential people in your local community? Please make use of any connections you may have – we are especially trying to improve water safety awareness in ethnically-diverse groups.
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Run a DPW activity – If you’d like to run a DPW awareness session, we can offer plenty of support and have a fantastic range of resources available to download for free or purchase from the RLSS UK Shop.
DPW 2025 4
Education in schools – We have an amazing array of free lesson plans for teachers and educational resources available for all ages. If you can share these materials with or deliver classes in schools, together we could make a huge difference to the lives of young people.
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Water safety sessions – For swimming clubs in the leisure sector, DPW also provides a great opportunity to educate swimmers on water safety and self-rescue skills so please implement a DPW session into your timetable!
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Keep us in the loop – One of the biggest highlights from our 2024 campaign was the unprecedented response from you. We were blown away by the quality and quantity of content you shared with us, so please keep it up - if you are doing ANY of the above or more, let us know!
Look out for... Pool 2 School RLSS UK’s first ever non-uniform day will take place in schools on Friday 20 June, so dig out your red and yellow clothes to get involved! www.rlss.org.uk/pool2school
Colour In To Win Our popular colouring competition will return in June www.rlss.org.uk/colouringcompetition
Help us keep hold of the campaign We want to ensure that when people see and hear of Drowning Prevention Week, they think of RLSS UK. This will help us to spread our messages even further and raise more vital funds for the charity. In turn, we’ll be able to provide more educational resources for free, ensuring that more people are safe in, on and around water. So, when you are sharing our Drowning Prevention Week messages or encouraging others to do so, please ensure that the Royal Life Saving Society UK is mentioned too.
Thank you
Please email any high resolution images and/or video footage to marketing@rlss.org.uk
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Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Update
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
Update
Learn more about the exciting updates from our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Executive, Andrea Cox, to keep accessibility at the forefront of everything RLSS UK does!
RLSS UK gains Inclusive Worcestershire Leader (IWL) status The esteemed award is granted to organisations that demonstrate a robust commitment to embedding EDI principles into every facet of their operations. The award also recognises organisations that provide comprehensive support to employers at each stage of their journey towards becoming more inclusive. RLSS UK staff and members have been attending job fairs to provide those seeking career opportunities with valuable information and championing the organisation. We look forward to the next few months and reporting on our progress in the next edition.
Matthew Mitcham Webinar As part of National Inclusion Week, RLSS UK members and staff attended a live motivational webinar featuring the inspirational Australian Olympic diving gold medallist and world champion, Matthew Mitcham OAM. Beyond his athletic achievements, Matthew is a passionate advocate for LGBTQ+ rights and mental health awareness. The webinar was a resounding success and incredibly insightful. He was exceptionally open about his mental health challenges, his experiences in his professional career, and his journey to overcoming struggles with drink and drug misuse and embracing his sexuality.
Looking ahead, RLSS UK is focusing on a collaboration with JobCentre Plus to represent the organisation at several local initiatives. Conversations have begun on the importance of educating and informing the Department for Work and Pensions employment caseworkers about the many opportunities RLSS UK can offer, from volunteering to obtaining qualifications. It is great as an organisation to have the opportunity to make real change. RLSS UK is proud to be leading the way in accessibility and diversity, and we are grateful to IWL for this opportunity.
EDI Training is FREE for RLSS UK Members Introduced in June 2024, 875 members and associates have completed the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion training, totalling 290 hours! Interested? A revised version will be released in June 2025. If you would like further information about anything explored in this article, please email edi@rlss.org.uk.
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Why I Volunteer
WHY I
VOLUNTEER Hear from Lynn, who volunteers and offers community support across Scotland, and what inspires her to keep up the hard, yet important, work.
LYNN LAWRENCE
My goal is to spread knowledge of the ‘Save a Life’ initiative and know that I have made a positive impact on those around me. All-in-all, it is about teaching lifesaving skills with confidence.
“My name is Lynn, and I am a Community Outreach Instructor under RLSS UK’s Save a Life Series. Before volunteering with RLSS UK, I was an Instructor under Heartstart Discovery which allowed me to arrange public sessions locally, for over eight years. RLSS UK Deputy President, Bryan Finlay, recommended I become an RLSS UK Community Outreach Instructor in March 2017, as I was already a Community First Responder with the Scottish Ambulance Service in my hometown of Carnoustie.
I continue to organise sessions, both publicly and privately across the Adult, Child or Baby series. As a volunteer, I love the fact that I am doing something which may assist someone in saving the life of a loved one. If only one person who I have had the opportunity of teaching at one of my sessions saves a life, I have done my job.”
The training was excellent and allowed me to go on and instill confidence in over 500 members of the public to be able to assess a patient, how to respond if they are in cardiac arrest, then administer CPR and operate a defibrillator, if available. With the Save a Life series I can also arrange sessions for Save a Baby’s Life and Save a Child’s Life. Beyond this, I maintain 15 public access defibrillators as a Guardian in Carnoustie and Monifieth. Through word of mouth, members of the public have asked if I can assist them in the installation of PADs and I offer CPR sessions so that members of the public have the knowledge of how to use them. I am amazed at how many people fear CPR and the defibrillator. Often, I find that people are scared to hurt someone, but by explaining and identifying with stories, they imagine how they would act in similar circumstances, and they are then able to work through situations on the manikins.
! n n y L , u o Thank y
Interested in stepping up your volunteering game? Learn more here www.rlss.org.uk/volunteer LIFESAVERS // May 2025
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William Henry Award
WILLIAM HENRY
AWARD
The William Henry Award scheme is all about celebrating our amazing volunteers who spread the word about RLSS UK, teaching water safety, and making a real difference in their communities. In 2024, our volunteers logged an incredible 8,600+ hours of their time! A huge shoutout to everyone who has generously made time to volunteer with us – your dedication to promoting water safety is truly appreciated. Here are some of the most inspiring stories from our volunteers over the past six months! Sophia Victoria Hendey promoted RLSS UK by dressing up as Norman the Newfoundland mascot of Littlehampton Wave Life Saving Club at the town’s Torchlight Procession.
Jude Morris helped run a stand at Littlehampton Armed Forces Day, advertising RLSS UK and promoting water safety, including rope throw demonstrations. Susan Brigitte Rider lifeguarded on behalf of the RLSS UK’s event water safety team at several events, including the Henley Royal Regatta and the BDA Dragon Boat Race in Nottingham.
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Andrew Fooks delivered community first aid training (including a Save a Baby’s Life workshop) for the local council.
William Henry Award
Since the scheme’s relaunch in January 2023, an impressive 181 of our incredible volunteers have logged their hours, reaching milestones and earning awards along the way! If you haven’t started your journey to achieve the William Henry Award yet, now’s the perfect time to jump in! Getting involved is super easy. All you need is an RLSS UK Account, which you can create online for free if you do not have one – no membership required! Noah Hollowell ran a competition for the BULSCA league at Warwick University. He booked the pool and room space, organised entries, arranged catering and hospitality, and managed the financials for over 32 teams. Kirsty Reed volunteered at Essex International Jamboree, providing water safety, CPR and rope throw demonstrations to thousands of Scouts across the week.
William Henry
To start logging your volunteer hours, just log in to your account and head over to the ‘My Details’ tab. There, you’ll find a link to the ‘William Henry Award’ section. Simply fill out the form with details of your volunteer work. We encourage you to be as detailed as possible and include photos, so we can highlight your amazing efforts and inspire others to join our incredible community of volunteers. 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
If you’re curious about the William Henry Award or want to learn how you can get involved with volunteering for RLSS UK, be sure to visit our website www.rlss.org.uk
Scan for more information Volunteering
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Splash Safety at your Pad
SCAN to read our advice
makes its ribbiting return!
In October 2024, we proudly launched our first ‘Splash Safety at your Pad’ campaign in response to the worrying findings from our Child Drowning Update. The report, which is available to download from our website, highlights evidence from the National Child Mortality Database (NCMD) that, on average, at least one child a month drowned at home*. No child should drown, and the tragic statistics emphasised the importance of adult supervision and a renewed focus on how to stay safe when in and around water at home. The ‘Splash Safety’ campaign aims to communicate this with families across the UK and Ireland in a fun and engaging way – and makes its return this month!
A N U N - F RO G - E TTA B L E D E B U T... Aimed predominantly at the parents and guardians of children aged under five, our debut ‘Splash Safety’ campaign was focused on safe bath times and garnered huge support from parents and professional bodies alike. On social media, our campaign messages received an abundance of shares from parents and those working with children. In the press we achieved big player coverage in The Sun, The Mirror, NetMums and within features on MailOnline and OK. RLSS UK also forged strong partnerships that reinforced our position as the experts in water safety. The Institute of Health Visiting (IHV) shared a blog about the campaign with all their UK members; we collaborated on a shared press release with Health and Social Care Northern Ireland (a first for RLSS UK); and the NCMD shared our ‘professionals factsheet’ throughout its network.
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2 in 5 children that drowned were aged under 5 years old*
Splash Safety at your Pad
S O, W H AT ’S H O P - E N I N G I N M AY ? Our May campaign focuses on garden safety as we all start to enjoy the warmer weather, bank holidays and spend more time in our outdoor spaces at home again. 1 in 3 children that drowned at home did so in places like paddling pools, hot tubs and ponds; totalling 16 accidental deaths in just four years*. We want to make sure your froglets can’t hop into harm, so we’ll be sharing simple water safety advice throughout the month across our social media channels, on our website, in the press, and through the help of our amazing network of members, volunteers, water safety partners and clubs.
Almost 9 in 10 parents of young children have access to water in their outdoor space at home*
1 in 3 children that drowned at home did so in places like paddling pools*
O U R 3 TO P T I P S !
H OW CA N I H E L P ?
1. 2. 3.
SUPERVISION
Keep young children within arm’s reach when in or around water at home. Avoid distractions such as using a mobile phone, when children are playing near water.
PREPARE
Get any towels, toys, nappies and dry clothing ready to go before your children are near the paddling pool.
PREVENT
Always empty paddling pools and replace hot tub covers immediately after use. Make sure that garden gates are always locked and fences secure.
Don’t frog-et, drowning can happen silently and in a matter of minutes.
• Hop onto the website and follow our guidance to keep your family safe • Re-croak our campaign messages on social media • Make use of our FREE downloadable resources • Ribbit to friends and family about the importance of water safety in the home
Thank you!
Save the Date... Splash Safety at your Pad will return in October. Please mark your calendars to support the autumn campaign too!
Download our Child Drowning Update
*Source: Royal Life Saving Society UK Child Drowning Update England (September 2024)
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Rookie Rescue Skills
Programme launches! RLSS UK was proud to launch one of its newest awards, the Rookie Rescue Skills programme, in January - a brand-new award for children with disabilities. Teaming up with our strategic partner, Level Water, a charity that works to improve access to swimming for children with disabilities, we created a programme that can give children the opportunity to build their selfrescue and lifesaving skills. Beyond this, and perhaps most importantly, the sessions are designed to have a long lasting impact on young people by building their social and emotional confidence too. The award’s success was made possible due to funding RLSS UK received from one of our lifesaving clubs that sadly closed. This allowed us to offer this upskilling opportunity for free to Rookie Lifeguard Instructors, and the uptake of individuals choosing to take this course was inspiring! We also called for swimming teachers to upskill to become Rookie Lifeguard Instructors to deliver both the Rookie Lifeguard and Rookie Rescue Skills programmes to help expand the reach of the new initiative and make a real difference in children’s lives. Matt Croxall, Charity Director at RLSS UK, said: “We believe that no child should drown – and in order to achieve this, we must ensure all children have access to water safety lessons and education. “It was a brilliant opportunity to partner with Level Water to launch this programme as a love for swimming and the water should be paired with an awareness of water safety, which is what we hope to bring to more children with this award.” Matthew Maguire, Head of Programmes at Level Water, said: “A huge part of our adapted swimming lesson programme is about teaching confidence, self-esteem and resilience. “This partnership is the perfect opportunity for young people to show these skills off and increase their love for the water, whilst also giving families the chance to feel confident their child is safe in and around water.” 20
LIFESAVERS // May 2025
Rookie Rescue Skills
This month, we are excited to share this programme publicly so that parents and carers can enrol their youngsters onto the course. The classes will be available to children aged six years and over with the equivalent of a swimming Stage 3 in the Swim England Learn to Swim programme. Alternatively, if a child is a Level Water graduate, then they will be able to do this award too and fall in love with lifesaving like they have done with swimming! The lessons will be taught in small groups with trained and supportive instructors. Children will discover what they can do, rather than what they cannot do in and around water. Participants will learn adapted self-rescue techniques and instructors will impart knowledge on how to recognise risks and mitigate them through fun and interactive sessions. We would be grateful for your support by sharing this programme far and wide to make sure as many young people as possible can take part in this unique award and learn vital water safety skills!
If you are a Rookie Lifeguard Pool Instructor, upskill now by going to your RLSS UK account LIFESAVERS // May 2025
21
Water Smart Schools
WATER SMART Learn more about our award-winning water safety accreditation programme and how it continues to go from strength to strength...
Schools
Health & Wellbeing (PSHE)
In the first full year of RLSS UK’s Water Smart Schools award, an incredible 8,000+ pupils were educated in water safety across various educational settings in the UK and beyond!
Water Safety Lesson 1 - STOP AND
Stop and Think
sed water safety Lesson 1 of a series of Health & Wellbeing-ba main points of the the four sessions, designed to teach children Stay Together; Call 999; Float. Water Safety Code: Stop and Think;
OBJECTIVE(S)
in and around water, to be I will understand there are dangers the dangers water may have. prepared and stop and think about
GENERAL INFORMATION
Recommended Age Range: 5-7 year-olds & Wellbeing: lesson 1 of 5 Curriculum Subject Focus: Health Duration of Lesson: 1 x 15 mins
Despite the many competing priorities currently demanding teaching time in the classroom, many schools chose to align their engagement with RLSS UK’s flagship campaign, Drowning Prevention Week, thereby maximising water safety knowledge and understanding in a holistic and intensive way.
THINK
KEY MESSAGE
DESCRIPTION
OUTCOMES KNOW... How to spot dangers in
and around water. UNDERSTAND... That water is fun and we can play in and around it safely. BE ABLE TO... Explain how to keep myself safe around water.
PREPARATION
PowerPoint Resources – IWB; Primary School Presentation s wordsearche and Spot the Danger scenes and accompanying this lesson plan.
Health & Wellbeing (PS
Water Safety Lesson 1
CURRICULAR LINKS
• • • • •
HE)
- STOP AND THINK
H35, H36 Keeping safe: KS1: H28, H29, H32, H33, England: PSHE Health and Wellbeing king, Progression Step 2 INTRODUCTIO of Learning, Decision-ma N Wales: Health and Wellbeing Description HWB 1-16a, HWB 1-17a Level wellbeing: First y State that we are going to Think Scotland: Health & Wellbeing Physical keeping healthy & safe of ways to stay safe around skills for and / KS1: Strategies & water learn about what to do Northern Ireland: PD&MU Foundation if we get into trouble, theClasses messages from RLSS UK using – Infants, First & Second (the Royal Life Saving Eire: Myself – safety and protection Society UK), RNLI (The Royal National Lifeboat Institution), and the fire and rescue services. Explain that these organisations are there to help keep us safe. Today we are going to Stop and Think. y Show slide 3 and follow with whole class discussio n: what fun things can we do in and around water? Write (or draw) children’s ideas on the IWB and discuss. y Where can we go to play in and around water? Talk partner pairs, 60 seconds to discuss, then collate and discuss required. as
PLENARY y How can we stay safe around water? y What could go wrong in and around water? y Who can help us to stay safe?
ASSESSMENT FOR LEARN
ING
Through outcome and through discussion (whole class, talk partner pairs, individual).
HOME LEARNING
MAIN ACTIVITY
Looking ahead, we are excited to share that for this academic year (2024 – 2025), a further 143 schools have registered, with some of them already nearing completion!
Health &
E) Wellbeing (PSH
Water Safety
AT
Lesson 4 - FLO
DESCRIPTION
r safety eing-based wate s of the of Health & Wellb main point Fourth of a series to teach children the four Float. her; Call 999; ned sessions, desig Think; Stay Toget Code: Stop and Water Safety
RMATION
GENERAL INFO
5-7 year-olds lesson 4 of 5 Age Range: h & Wellbeing: Recommended ct Focus: Healt Curriculum Subje n: 1 x 20 mins Duration of Lesso
We believe this remarkable uptake in school settings is due to the active promotion by staff at RLSS UK, our partners and friends, who continue to boost these numbers and contributes hugely to making Water Smart Schools the success it is today.
PREPARATION
l Presentation
Primary Schoo
PowerPoint s and pens.
– IWB; ; whiteboard y Resources these lesson plans accompanying
Facts page and
ing mation: RNLI Float video y Teacher Infor : teach your child how to float
For more resources and advice visit www.rlss.org.uk
Float
OBJECTIVE(S)
• •
myself over and float know to roll and le in water, I raise my arm If I get into troub that floats then to something or to hold on and to stay healthy shout for help to swim (for fun, tant to be able impor is it I know safe)
OUTCOMES
if find myself
in water unex
pectedly.
t to do KNOW... Wha r can have some That cold wate UNDERSTAND... body. ts on the of of the features Explain some BE ABLE TO... . cold-water shock
adverse effec
Health & Wellbeing (PSHE)
RNLI Life Skills
Water Safety Lesson 4 - FLOAT
ession Step 2 S ion-making, Progr H36 of Learning, Decis H32, H33, H35, INTRODUC eing Description TION - KS1: H28, H29, Health and Wellb 1-17a Keeping safe Wellbeing: HWB 1-16a, HWB Level sessions, y Recap eing on the - First previous PSHE Health and hy & safe hidden including cal wellb ng healtrecognising Physi keepi for eing: dangers, skills knowing who gies & can help us and recognising beach Health & Wellb Strate / KS1- -refer ationflags Class d to the PowerPoint Secon PD&MU Found & slides if required. – Infants, First prote y ction Today we are going to think about lf – safety and what to do if we find Eire: SPHE: Myse ourselves in water accidentally. Ask the question – why might we find ourselves in the water accidentally (fall in, trip, slip, pushed in etc).
CURRICULAR LINK : • Wales nd: • Engla and: • Scotl • Northern Ireland: •
PLENARY y What does cold water do to our bodies? y Who knows what to do if they find themselves in water unexpectedly? y Why do we need to make a starfish
MAIN ACTIVITY
This year, we have worked hard to improve the Water Smart Schools programme, and we are pleased to share our new creative sets of more user-friendly lesson plans.
Children can be given the Spot the Dangers wordsearch to complete at home with an adult / carer. Alternatively, the PowerPo int used in the lessons could be adapted and placed on the school Learning Platform to allow children to spot the dangers at the river, beach and home (slides 6-9), or these can be printed off as activity sheets.
y Tell the children we are going to look at some decide whether the things pictures we see are safe or unsafe. and y Display the Primary School Presentation PowerPo through the slides with int and work Focus on slides 6,7 or 8 the children, beginning with slide 4. and allow the children spot the dangers in the some talk time to so children can touch scene. Note these slides are interactive the IWB to confirm their decisions. Review and discuss. y Activity: hand out E appropriate MES for SAG children to complete. Spot the Dangers scene from the KEYpack
y
y
Ask a volunteer to pretend they have fallen in water. Brief them beforehand to gasp deeply and thrash uncontrollable response when falling around, as this is the children that we need to find a wayin cold water. Tell the we find ourselves in this situation. to help us keep safe if y
State that water is cold even if the weather is hot and that it makes it hard for us to swim if for breath, heart beats faster, arms we fall in (gasp slower). However, there is somethingand legs move we can do to keep ourselves safe until someone can help us: float. Ask the class what we mean by float and discuss in the context of swimming lessons if they have had some. Play this video - children can join in. This video can also be used to teach the ‘float to live’ technique – keep calm, float and back in a starfish shape; shout for help.
shape in the water?
ASSESSMENT FOR LEARNING
Through discussion, questioning
and observation.
HOME LEARNING y Signpost the children to local swimming lessons and lifesaving clubs.
For more resources and advice visit www.rlss.org.uk
ous. You can drown. Water can be danger
If you are around water,
you must follow the water
Water can be dangerous.
safety code.
You can drown.
Look for dangers.
Stop and think.
If you are around water
Stay together.
s.
Go with family or friend
You must follow the water
999
Stop and think.
If in danger, call 999.
If you fall in the water,
float on your back and
call for help.
Stay together.
If you see someone else
fall in the water, throw
something that floats
to them.
If in danger
999
Call 999.
This can help them. With acknowledgements
Float on your back.
to WFS
With acknowledgements
to WFS
22
LIFESAVERS // May 2025
safety code.
SEND Schools At RLSS UK, we have seen an increased demand for education materials from Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) schools. As part of our continued dedication to water safety education accessibility, we are working with a number of organisations to improve the resources we have available to SEND schools. These materials include the use of InPrint3 ‘Widget’ symbology resources for interactive whiteboards and adaptations for the visually impaired.
Water Smart Schools
Our Water Smart Super Stars!
Hear from some of the amazing schools across the UK who are proud to be a part of our fantastic programme!
“As we are a school by the sea, we are so pleased to have a strong partnership with the Royal Life Saving Society UK. “As part of our work as a school to enrich pupils’ personal development, we have commitment to providing safety education to our pupils to help them and their families understand more about how to stay safe by the water and know what to do in an emergency.” Hannah Doyle of Oakfield Primary School, Ryde, Isle of Wight
“We’re thrilled to announce that The Lodge has earned the Water Smart Schools Gold Award! This recognition highlights our dedication to providing exceptional water safety education for our students. “By achieving the highest level of excellence set by RLSS UK, we have demonstrated our commitment to educating students in water safety. We’re proud of this accomplishment and will continue to strive to keep these high standards!” Kelly Butler of ALP The Lodge, Gravesend, Kent
“Our training program with RLSS UK consisted of three parts, namely a theoretical classroom-based exercise, a practical session in the water and a first aid course the latter having been completed independently earlier in the year. The girls really enjoyed the sessions, and they certainly learned a great deal from the programme.” Ms Adamidou of High March School, Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire
“We are pleased to confirm that Franche Community Primary School has achieved the GOLD level of RLSS UK’s Water Smart Schools award programme. “The award reflects the work that we do across the school in PSHE, swimming lessons and PE to develop children’s knowledge and skills to stay safe around water. “This nationally recognised award, alongside our pool facilities, should highlight our commitment to making children water confident and safe above and beyond the requirements of the National Curriculum.” Ben Wills of Franche Community Primary School, Kidderminster, Worcestershire
LIFESAVERS // May 2025
23
Everyday Heroes
Everyday Heroes Rescue Round-up
Take a look at a few of our #EverydayHeroes, who deserve celebrating for their brave lifesaving efforts…
Exe Valley Leisure Centre Not one, but two rescues were reported over a twomonth period at this local leisure centre!
Tony Kershaw Tony’s lifesaving skills were quickly put to use following a training session with Wantage Lifesaving Club, after his wife found a teenage girl unresponsive nearby. Arriving at the scene, he called 999, assessed the situation and started CPR as the young person was not breathing. A defibrillator was located and applied to the teenager, but this advised further CPR, an action he maintained until emergency services arrived.
In October 2024, a lady was exercising in the gym when she suffered a cardiac arrest, but members of staff acted quickly and utilised their RLSS UK First Aid Training. They performed CPR for 12-minutes as they waited for paramedics and the air ambulance to arrive. Then, just a month later, a 70-year-old lady experienced a cardiac arrest in the swimming pool. The pool team once again sprang into action and completed a water rescue and began first aid, including CPR and delivering four shocks with the defib. Luckily, both women have now recovered and are at home with their families.
Once paramedics reached the girl, she was breathing unaided but still received hospital treatment and was reunited with her family two days later.
Donnie Livingstone Donnie, a member of the public with no lifesaving experience, utilised his quick-thinking to save an elderly lady whilst he was walking his dog along the Forth & Clyde Canal. After noticing the lady in the icy waters, he took the lead from his dog and managed to tie it to her wrist and pull her to the side of the bank, keeping her above the water whilst they waited for the emergency services to arrive. To see more inspiring stories or if you know an everyday hero who would like to share their story, visit www.rlss.org.uk/pages/category/report-a-rescue 24
LIFESAVERS // May 2025
Don’t Drink and Drown
CELEBRATING THE SUCCESS OF
Don’t Drink and Drown RLSS UK is thrilled to share the fantastic achievements from our ‘Don’t Drink and Drown’ campaign in 2024. Last year, we saw great engagement and support across social media and the press, highlighting the critical importance of our #DontDrinkAndDrown message.
Social Media Triumphs Our social media efforts kicked off in September with some vibrant campaign assets for freshers’ week. The launch post included a university night out checklist, which was well-received and achieved strong reach and engagement.
Press Coverage The press response to our Don’t Drink and Drown campaign was also exceptional. We experienced a significant increase in the number of broadcasts about the campaign compared to 2023, amplifying our message to a broader audience. In December a security guard, Okeoghene Eyenre, was given a special commendation by the Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service (TWFRS) for ‘Meritorious Conduct’ after saving someone from drowning. We were grateful to TWFRS for taking this opportunity to highlight our campaign, which coincided with the rescue, in their press release and demonstrated the importance of our message.
2024
In December, the standout element of our festive campaign was a brand-new video, urging everyone to #BeAMate. The video resonated deeply with the public and generated a wave of emotive comments, especially on Instagram. Thank you to everyone who shared this.
Scan here to watch the video in full
Looking Ahead
As we reflect on 2024’s successes, we are excited to continue our efforts with the Don’t Drink and Drown campaign in 2025. Mark your calendars for our upcoming campaigns:
Thank you for your continued support in spreading these vital messages. Through collective action we can make a difference. LIFESAVERS // May 2025
25
Elections
TRUSTEE UPDATES YOUR NEW TRUSTEES!
Elections and Annual General Meeting (AGM) 2024
SHEENA HARPER
Trustee
At our 2024 Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Saturday 19 October 2024, we announced members Sheena Harper and Kit Owen-Smith had been elected to our Board of Trustees. Thanks to all our members for taking the time to vote to elect these members and vote for our resolutions.
Sheena has gone from participant to lifesaving mentor in her 50 years’ membership of RLSS UK. She is passionate about enhancing RLSS UK’s lifesaving community, so everyone can enjoy being in, on and around water safely. Sheena champions wider inclusion and overcoming barriers for individuals’ participation within the society.
Did you know that the Board of Trustees volunteer their time and expertise, meeting at least five times a year? They lead the charity’s strategic decisions and governance, that are critical to RLSS UK’s future.
In addition to those elected to the Board, we recently appointed Carol Jones as our Honorary Treasurer.
KIT OWEN-SMITH
Trustee
Kit brings extensive experience of working in the charity sector having worked or volunteered for eight charities since 2005. He has held management positions in fundraising since 2022 and has a wide range of experience in different branches of fundraising. He has also been a trustee for a small children’s charity and was its chairman for six years.
Find out more about your Trustees, full details are at www.rlss.org.uk/pages/category/our-trustees 26
LIFESAVERS // May 2025
After spending her career supporting the commercial sector with a profit motive, Carol looks forward to using her skills and experience to help and support RLSS UK. As a fully qualified accountant (F.C.C.A.), Carol brings strong analytical financial skills and business acumen. She has extensive experience of scrutinising financial reports and assessing the financial performance of an entity.
CAROL JONES
Honorary Treasurer
Elections
Bryan Finlay RLSS UK Deputy President What is it like to be Deputy President? We asked RLSS UK Deputy President Bryan Finlay to tell us more about his experience as Deputy President.
COULD YOU BE THE NEXT RLSS UK DEPUTY PRESIDENT OR TRUSTEE?
Bryan told us: “Aside from being an incredible honour to be voted by our members as Deputy President of our prestigious royal charity, it is a role not to be taken lightly. “The role isn’t just about attending meetings or events, it takes a huge amount of time and commitment to make critical decisions and develop close working relationships with the Trustees and RLSS UK staff in preparation for becoming President after a three-year term. “I remain passionate that the Royal Life Saving Society UK will one day become a household name and I’m eagerly awaiting becoming President in October. Which of our members will put themselves forward to become the new Deputy President?”
Key Dates
Monday 30 June
Monday 21 July
APPLICATIONS OPEN
APPLICATIONS CLOSE
Thursday 2 October (AM)
Thursday 16 October (5PM)
VOTING OPENS
VOTING CLOSES
Saturday 18 October 2025 at 11am – 12pm
Annual General Meeting at British Motor Museum
Banbury Road, Gaydon, Warwickshire, CV35 0BJ in Lecture Room 2
JOIN US!
RLSS UK’s Trustee Board is calling for members to nominate themselves for election.
Our 2025 Board vacancies are: 1x Deputy President
1x Elected Trustee
Following a skills audit of all the remaining trustees, the board would ask members to consider voting for people who present with the best fit of the skills that will help the board discharge its responsibility professionally. The board has a need for people who have: 1. Strategic leadership experience in the public, private or voluntary sectors. 2. Senior management skills in marketing and communications or recruitment, retention and development of people, or the design, procurement, and implementation of significant IT systems and projects. 3. Senior leadership experience working with political organisations, governance or the leisure industry.
Find out more by visiting www.rlss.org.uk/elections2025 or email elections@rlss.org.uk
LIFESAVERS // May 2025
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RLSS UK on Tour
RLSS UK on Tour Upcoming Dates... There are still several upcoming dates on the tour, including the following...
RLSS UK staff are enjoying a tour of the UK and Ireland, meeting RLSS UK Trainer Assessors and Approved Training Centres and Providers Coordinators along the way! The trip started in Londonderry in March, and we have already visited Newtownabbey, Mansfield, and Smethwick. These FREE events are an excellent opportunity to network with other local trainers and operators, hear about the latest developments at RLSS UK and future plans, and ask any questions directly to the RLSS UK Team.
RLSS UK
INDUSTRY GUIDANCE
One topic covered in the RLSS UK On Tour events is RLSS UK Industry Guidance, which is available to provide the leisure industry, specifically swimming pool operators, with direction and clarity on various topics or issues relating to the industry.
• Friday 30 May Drogheda Leisure Centre, Co. Louth • Tuesday 3 June Deeside Leisure Centre, Flintshire • Tuesday 24 June Places Leisure, Eastleigh • Wednesday 25 June Plymouth Life Centre, Plymouth • Tuesday 9 September Barrhead Foundry, Glasgow • Wednesday 17 September Billingham Forum, Billingham • Tuesday 14 October Canons Leisure Centre, South West London • Wednesday 22 October Penarth Leisure Centre, Cardiff
We would love to see you there so for more information or to book your space, visit www.rlss.org.uk/rlss-uk-on-tour
Morgaine Stuart’s Inspirational Story One of our latest guidance documents is regarding lifeguarding with a stoma. To read the inspiring story of RLSS UK Trainer Assessor and Mentor Morgaine Stuart, who was left with a colostomy bag after life-saving surgery, scan the QR code below.
These simple guidance documents are created using our extensive experience and the support of expert advisors and partners. They cover a range of topics from lifeguarding during Ramadan to supporting lifeguards with medical conditions, providing first aid to customers or guests, using technology in swimming pools, and much more. New guidance is often added, and existing guidance is reviewed and amended, so it is worth revisiting regularly.
To view RLSS UK Industry Guidance documents, visit www.rlss.org.uk/rlss-uk-industry-guidance 28
LIFESAVERS // May 2025
See page 31 for the latest Swimming Pool Supervision Technology Guidance.
Aqua Parks
RLSS UK Approved Aqua Parks are Making Waves! Aqua park season is here, and it is easy to see why they are still growing in popularity – the parks offer mental and physical challenges whilst also being great fun! When planning your visit, it is important to consider safety and always visit venues with fully trained lifeguards overseeing the activities. RLSS UK facilitates the UK’s only accreditation scheme for UK aqua parks, created by The Aqua Park Association UK and Ireland. The scheme introduces a recognised and consistent safety standard, making accredited aqua parks a great place to enjoy water safely. So get booked, grab a towel, and have fun!
Become an RLSS UK Industry Approved Aqua Park If you are an aqua park operator in the UK or Ireland and would like to register to become an RLSS UK Industry Approved Aqua Park, please start the process by completing our Aqua Park Enrolment Form at www.rlss.org.uk/forms/aqua-parks-enrolment. A member of the RLSS UK team will then contact you to book your site visit, which needs to happen when your park is operational.
To view the full list of RLSS UK Approved Aqua Parks, visit www.rlss.org.uk/rlss-uk-aqua-parks.
Sports: Safe Heights, Maximum Fun Wibit Sports has launched new modular products that bring exciting new heights to waterparks - but rest assured: higher does not mean less safe. These new modules are designed with the same rigorous safety standards as their existing range and ensure stability, controlled climbs and secure grip surfaces. Plus, they require little to no additional water depth compared to other Wibit products. With proper supervision and adherence to guidelines, they offer a thrilling yet safe experience for all ages.
Learn more at www.wibitsports.com LIFESAVERS // May 2025
29
Swimming Pool Consultancy
RLSS UK
CONSULTANCY
Swimming Pool
CONSULTANCY SERVICES As experts in pool water safety, we are proud to deliver clear, practical advice and support for anyone responsible for running a pool and keeping visitors and staff safe around water. Our consultancy work is varied; in 2024, we completed projects including water safety risk assessments, the creation of pool safety procedures, bespoke mystery visits, and Lifeguard Zone Visibility Tests (LZVTs) and support for a wide range of pool operators.
Some of the services we offer: Lifeguard Zone Visibility Test (LZVT) LZVTs are essential to ensuring 100% visibility of your swimming pool by determining the optimal position and number of lifeguards required. As the organisation responsible for developing the UK’s industry guidance on LZVTs, we can help you complete an LZVT for the first time or review yours to ensure it meets the highest safety standards. This will help operators review lifeguard arrangements and comply with industry guidance. Learn more about our LZVT service: www.rlss.org.uk/lzvt
Check out
Our new Swimming Pool Safety Services brochure
Mystery Visits Our Mystery Visit service provides an unbiased view of your swimming pool operations, providing actionable feedback and identifying areas that may require improvement. As standard, this includes lifeguard competency, qualification and training, as well as staff knowledge, which are essential to the facility’s safe running. We offer one-time-only or regular mystery visits and can provide benchmarking across multiple sites if requested. Learn more about our Mystery Visit service: www.rlss.org.uk/mystery-visits Swimming Pool MOT We can help you achieve the highest safety standards for your swimming pool, ensuring compliance with UK legalisation, best practices and industry guidance. Whether you need a full safety audit, help reviewing or writing risk assessments, staff training support, or pool design advice, we offer tailored solutions.
100%
Learn more about our Pool MOT service: www.rlss.org.uk/consultancy-swimming-pools
of all profits go into he lping us educate more people to enjoy water safely
To book in time to discuss how our swimming pool industry experts can help you, email learnmore@rlss.org.uk or for more information, visit www.rlss.org.uk/consultancy-swimming-pools 30
LIFESAVERS // May 2025
Pool Technology
Abbeycroft Ushers in a New Era of
AI-driven Pool Safety and Efficiency
A
bbeycroft Leisure Trust has installed cutting-edge Assisted Lifeguard Technology (ALT) to enhance lifeguard operations, providing swimmers an extra layer of protection while improving operational efficiencies. The not-for-profit social enterprise Abbeycroft manages and operates 12 facilities for West Suffolk Council and Babergh District Council and has installed the technology at its Mildenhall Hub site. Demonstrating its commitment to a safety-first culture, Abbeycroft worked with RLSS UK throughout the process, to ensure a smooth transition to the new technology. RLSS UK is collaborating with Lynxight in the UK and Ireland to support pool operators in adopting affordable technology that complements existing lifeguard provisions without adding significant costs. Julie Hughes, who oversaw the installation as Abbeycroft’s Lynxight champion, said:
It gives an additional layer of safety for our swimmers. It’s like having a secondary lifeguard on hand. Our lifeguards are our primary response team, but this system backs them up. Real-time AI alerts The system uses standard overhead cameras and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to monitor and analyse swimmer behaviour, identifying potential risks or overcrowding that might lead to
serious incidents. When on shift, each member of the 20-strong lifeguard team wears a waterproof smartwatch, which provides realtime, colour-coded alerts when the system identifies an incident. Visuals pinpoint the location of the incident so lifeguards can respond immediately. The system also provides anyone wearing a watch with a live head count of pool users and negates the need for a manual count and record.
Swimming Pool Supervision Technology Industry Guidance
Data-driven pool management Beyond safety, Lynxight gives the centre’s management team invaluable operational insights. Using the system’s data, managers can observe trends in pool usage, identify peak times, and track occupancy levels across different sections of the pool to understand usage throughout the day. Tracey Loynds, Operations Director for Abbeycroft, said: “We are proud to be one of the first small trusts in the UK to install this technology. Working with RLSS UK has ensured that we have considered safety first, and we felt that a blended approach would support the wellbeing of our lifeguards while enhancing the safety of our swimmers.”
To find out more about Pool Technology, visit www.rlss.org.uk/assisted-lifeguard-technology
To support swimming pool operators installing automated monitoring and detection systems, a working group comprising of The Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity (CIMSPA), RLSS UK, Swim England, and ukactive created industry guidance in 2023. This guidance has been revised and updated with the new version published in January 2025 and is available to view at www.rlss.org.uk/otherguidance
To read the full article, visit www.rlss.org.uk/alt-abbeycroft LIFESAVERS // May 2025
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ATC and ATP Survey Results
RLSS UK 2024 Customer Satisfaction Survey Last September, RLSS UK Qualifications launched its first regular customer satisfaction survey amongst those delivering our industry-leading qualifications and awards via RLSS UK Approved Training Centres (ATCs) and/or as Approved Training Providers (ATPs).
The survey also provided invaluable insights across various areas relevant to RLSS UK Qualifications, most importantly on where we could optimise and improve our services.
In total, 163 people responded to our survey, including a mix of independent trainers and those working for bigger organisations. We’re delighted to say that the feedback received was incredibly positive...
Evaluating paperwork and processes – We are challenging ourselves to evaluate all of our course and assessment paperwork across all qualifications. The launch of the digital paperwork offering in our recent First Aid re-launch started this process.
91% 87%
of customers are satisfied overall with RLSS UK Qualifications
believe we make it easy for them to deliver our awards and qualifications
This is what some customers have to say about RLSS UK... “The RLSS UK Qualifications organisation has a very supportive and helpful team of people whose aims are visionary.” ATC “Quick to respond and resolve any issues from a customer service point of view. Work closely with us to run our qualifications with them, and they are happy to discuss amendments that are required.” ATC and ATP “My qualification is incredibly useful for my employment while also giving me the opportunity to have new skills that I can use in life outside of work.” ATP
32
LIFESAVERS // May 2025
What are we doing?
Building stronger customer relationships – Our exceptional Customer Services team has initiated regular contact with all ATC/P Coordinators to check in, offer support and provide updates on developments at RLSS UK. The next phase of customer support will include bookable online meetings to discuss any aspect of delivering RLSS UK qualifications and awards or using our systems. Address challenges to finding support—We are investigating our current support networks and how we can make them more visible and beneficial for those who need them. We are also challenging ourselves to increase the uptake of those registered on the RLSS UK Support Finder. Offer additional training and support with RLSS UK systems – Support systems are already in place, but we know there is more to do. Following your feedback, we are looking to improve many other areas. The above is just a start - we are excited to see where this journey takes us and look forward to keeping you updated with customer support developments! The winner of the Customer Satisfaction Survey prize draw in 2024 was Sir Herbert Leon Academy in Milton Keynes. They won a Manikin Max to support their lifesaving activity.
Lifeguard Survey Results
Thank you to everyone who took part in our recent Lifeguard surveys. We had 3,322 complete responses from lifeguards who had worked in a paid role in the last 12 months. Responses included current lifeguards working at a pool (n=2,807), aqua park (n=112), lake (n=84), and beach (n=57). Your feedback is hugely valuable in helping us understand your experience working as a lifeguard, what you enjoy most, and what can be improved.
RLSS UK 2024 Lifeguard Surveys
Most of those seeking work as a lifeguard were looking to develop new skills and flexible working hours – and the role delivered!
91%
92%
said the role is flexible so that it can fit around their other commitments
In addition...
93%
of pool lifeguards are proud of their role
“While I am a student, it offers great flexibility to accommodate my studies and other interests while being a great way to earn money, learn new skills and meet new people.” Pool lifeguard “It was a lovely, vibrant, and enjoyable job from which I got lots of pleasure whilst also helping to save people’s lives and enrich them at the same time.” Aqua park lifeguard “It is a fun and worthwhile position that offers many opportunities for personal and professional growth.” Beach lifeguard
of current lifeguards are developing new skills
93%
of aqua park lifeguards said the role looks good on their CV
91%
of lake/ beach lifeguards feel like they’re making a difference in their role
Coming Soon! Whilst most lifeguards were clearly thriving in their role, the survey helped identify that some sought more support from their immediate line manager to help improve their experience. As a direct result of your feedback, RLSS UK is investigating the opportunity to create a new CPD for first-line managers focused on helping them develop their soft skills as managers of lifeguards, highlighting the critical importance of the lifeguard role. The following key skills were highlighted in the survey results as skills that individuals felt improved through working as a lifeguard
CUSTOMER SERVICE SKILLS COMMUNICATION SKILLS TEAMWORK SKILLS SELF-CONFIDENCE Most who have left the profession have moved on to other sectors. However, an impressive 73% still use skills learnt as a lifeguard in their new role (n=96). This is incredible and shows the value of lifeguarding beyond the here and now! LIFESAVERS // May 2025
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First Aid Essentials
RLSS UK First Aid Qualifications Following the launch of First Aid Essentials, RLSS UK’s new-look dedicated first aid suite, we promised further improvements were on the way... We are on track to deliver, with two brand new first aid qualifications to complement our First Aid Essentials suite, more content in our existing first aid qualifications and the opportunity to offer blended first aid to your candidates.
RLSS UK Outdoor First Aid Qualifications Being an outdoor first aider can be an essential part of any outdoor activity operation. Should the unthinkable happen outdoors, knowing that you or your team members have the most relevant and up-to-date skills can provide the confidence needed to ensure you are keeping yourself safe and are able to put a casualty first. Whether you are an outdoor activity instructor, outdoor lifeguard, greenkeeper, sports coach affiliated with a National Governing Body, or operator, RLSS UK’s Outdoor First Aid Qualifications are comprehensive and cover a range of first aid emergencies that enable first aiders to provide initial care whilst waiting for professional help. Developed in line with industry standards, these new qualifications continue to strengthen our first aid offering, and we welcome RLSS UK Trainer Assessors to become an Outdoor First Aid Trainer Assessor and deliver these new qualifications. To identify the most suitable first aid training and qualification required, please check out our First Aid Needs Assessment Checklist. Read our latest blog about it here: www.rlss.org.uk/first-aid-needs-assessment-checklist Emergency Outdoor First Aid (EOFA) This 1-day (8-hour) course is suitable for those with close access to trained individuals who can offer them support. Outdoor First Aid (OFA) This 2-day (16-hour) course is suitable for those more independent and/or self-reliant outdoor activity instructors within hazardous outdoor environments.
What’s included • Brand new candidate manual • New images in outdoor environments • New PowerPoint presentations • Comprehensive lesson plans for trainer assessors
Delivering the Outdoor First Aid qualifications All RLSS UK First Aid qualifications must be delivered at RLSS UK Approved Training Centres (ATCs) or through RLSS UK Approved Training Providers (ATPs). The outdoor first aid courses can only be delivered by RLSS UK Outdoor First Aid Trainer Assessors. More information will be shared with RLSS UK First Aid Trainer Assessors, ATCs and ATPs very soon.
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First Aid Essentials
RLSS UK First Aid Essentials Blended Learning
NEW First Aid Content: Life-threatening Bleeding
RLSS UK First Aid Essentials delivery opportunities are set to expand with the introduction of Blended Learning. Providing courses that are partly delivered via an immersive and engaging online learning experience, partnered with face-to-face course delivery, provides added flexibility and further reach that positions RLSS UK as a first-choice awarding organisation.
In our continued strive to ensure our qualifications remain at the forefront of first aid teaching, we are incorporating life-threatening bleeding within the content of our First Aid at Work, Emergency First Aid at Work and National Pool Lifeguard Qualifications.
Created using an industry-leading course creation platform, RLSS UK’s Blended Learning has been developed to support candidates through their learning journey in a simplified, interactive and robust way. This Blended Learning approach will support candidates in preparation for the face-to-face part of their course and provide ATC/Ps, Trainer Assessors, operators and partners the flexibility to provide learning in a multitude of ways, including reducing the amount of face-to-face learning required, giving more people a chance to access courses and learn essential skills. Watch this space for more information coming soon!
RLSS UK Trainer Assessors will have the opportunity to upskill online, enabling course delivery to specifically include improvised packing and improvised and manufactured tourniquets commonly associated with a high-risk environment. Once approved, either upskilling via an online opportunity or providing a sufficient prerequisite, Trainer Assessors will be able to bolt on this additional skill within certain qualifications to expand the knowledge and understanding of candidates.
Interested in delivering RLSS UK First Aid courses at your venue? First aid training is crucial because it can save lives. Hosting courses at your venue means you can play your part in supporting a valuable community initiative. RLSS UK provides world-class first aid training courses that teach essential life-saving skills interactively and engagingly. Whether it’s community workshops like the Save a Life Series or comprehensive courses such as Combined Paediatric First Aid (PFA) & First Aid at Work (FAW), there are options to meet your client’s needs. Offering first aid courses at your venue can also significantly boost your income by retaining current users and attracting new customers.
For assistance in delivering RLSS UK first aid courses at your site, visit www.rlss.org.uk/offering-rlss-uk-first-aidtraining-at-your-venue.
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NWSMP DEFRA
WATER SAFETY TRAINING for Businesses Water safety training is as important as manual handling or first aid training for businesses with employees who carry out their roles near waterways or water courses. It teaches lifesaving skills and provides reassurance that employees have the skills and confidence to rescue themselves if they or their colleagues are in trouble in the water.
Grantham Coates Surveys puts safety first Grantham Coates Surveys are data capture experts who use their skills and experience to support companies in various sectors. Based in the Midlands, they often work on behalf of developers and consultants who represent large and small clients. They provide critical data for land, rail, river, and engineering projects, carrying out activities including river surveys, railway surveys, cross-section surveys, bridge surveys, flood risk assessments and much more. Due to the nature of their work, their team often works in, on, or alongside water, which can be anything from a ditch to the River Thames. Company founders John Grantham and Chris Coates, both surveying experts widely respected for their professionalism and attention to detail, made a conscious decision soon after setting up the business to ensure that the staff were well-versed in water safety and that water safety would be a fundamental part of their employee training programme. Attending courses delivered by Bristol Maritime, all existing
employees have completed Training Module 1 Water & Flood Awareness DEFRA and Training Module 2 – Water & Flood First Responder, which are modules of the RLSS UK’s National Water Safety Management Programme DEFRA (NWSMP DEFRA). This training equips anyone working around water with essential knowledge and skills to make informed decisions about managing water safety. Co-founders John and Chris believe that this training provides their staff with the knowledge and skills to be fully prepared and allows them to practise scenarios they could find themselves in during work. Chris Coates said: Our staff have many years of experience and knowledge of surveying, but very few people we employ had previously completed any form of water safety training. We consider water safety training paramount for our staff, as it empowers them to be aware of the potential dangers that exist upstream and downstream and plan and properly prepare so they can ensure that correct equipment is at hand, should it be required. We would encourage any company with staff who work near water to train their staff in water safety, as it is essential in their working life and for them to share with their families and friends so that everybody knows how to be safe near water.
For more information about water safety training or to find the right water safety training for your staff, visit www.rlss.org.uk/water-safety-training
FREE WATER SAFETY AT WORK ! r e t s o p e c n a Guid
Download at www.rlss.org.uk/watersafety-at-work-guidance-poster
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RLSS UK Training
RLSS UK Industry Courses RLSS UK offers various career development courses to ensure that RLSS UK qualifications are delivered professionally and to industry-leading standards. These courses also support the career progression of our network of RLSS UK Trainer Assessors (TAs), Mentors, National Trainer Assessors (NTAs), and Instructors. Below is a list of courses available from May to October 2025. All courses are delivered remotely unless specified. Level 3 Award in Education and Training (AET) (face-to-face at RLSS UK’s Worcester Head Office) 1 - 5 September National Trainer Assessor (NTA) (face-to-face at RLSS UK’s Worcester Head Office) 2 - 3 June Internal Quality Assurance (IQA) 20 May 23 June 9 July 14 July
18 August 12 September 21 October
RLSS UK Mentor 4 July National Pool Management Qualification (NPMQ) 19 - 22 May 2 - 6 June 7 – 10 July
18 - 21 August 4 - 9 September 6 – 9 October
National Pool Supervisor Qualification (NPSQ) Tutor 23 May 3 September Swim School Health and Safety Award 12, 19, 26 July 4 - 6 August 11, 12, 18 and 19 September
RLSS UK
Opportunities
If you already hold RLSS UK Trainer Assessor Qualifications, you may have ‘Opportunities’ available to teach more RLSS UK training and qualifications.
RLSS UK Opportunities are available to you via your RLSS UK Account. Depending on which RLSS UK qualifications you have and if you hold a current RLSS UK Licence to Operate Membership, there are upskill opportunities for National Rescue Award for Swimming Teachers and Coaches (NRASTC), Aquatic Therapy Pool Rescue Award (ATPRA), National Surf Coach Lifesaving Award (NSCLA), Open Water Emergency Rescue Award, Swimming Pool Emergency Rescue Award, Rookie Lifeguard Instructor and more!
Visit the Awards & Training tab in your RLSS UK Account to discover any Opportunities or Updates that are open to you. For more information, visit www.rlss.org.uk/your-account
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Compliance
Updates from
RLSS UK Compliance
WH AT I S I N T E R N A L Q UA L I T Y AS S U RA N C E ?
M A I N TA I N I N G F I RST A I D T RA I N E R AS S E S S O R ( TA ) STAT U S
Internal Quality Assurance (IQA) is a process designed to ensure that the delivery and assessment of qualifications meet the required standards of quality and consistency.
The Compliance team has been receiving queries about the requirements for maintaining First Aid Trainer Assessor (TA) status, which includes access to RLSS UK first aid resources, so we would like to support TAs in answering this query.
The main goal of IQA is to maintain the integrity and reliability of the assessment process. It ensures that assessments are fair, valid, and consistent across different trainers and assessors. IQA must be conducted by suitably qualified Internal Quality Assurers who have the necessary knowledge and experience to make informed decisions. IQA involves various types of checks, including faceto-face observations, remote reviews and document reviews. These checks help verify that the assessment practices align with our standards. IQA processes often include maintaining a risk register to monitor the performance of trainers and assessors. This helps identify areas where additional support is needed. IQA is not just about compliance; it also focuses on continuous improvement. Feedback from IQA activities is used to enhance the quality of training and assessment practices. By implementing effective IQA processes, our Approved Training Centres or Providers can ensure that the qualifications are delivered to a high standard and that candidates receive fair and accurate assessments. If you have any further questions or need assistance, please do not hesitate to contact a member of the Compliance Team.
For more FAQs regarding Compliance visit www.rlss.org.uk/compliance-faqs
It is a requirement of the First Aid Awarding Organisation Forum (FAAOF) that all First Aid TAs must be Internally Quality Assured (IQA) face-to-face (in person, not via live feed) annually on both course delivery and assessment. The Internal Quality Assurer must be suitably qualified, which means holding: •
A recognised IQA qualification or has attended an RLSS UK IQA Assessor Day (or one that has been delivered by another first aid awarding organisation)
and •
A current and valid regulated First Aid at Work or RLSS UK NPLQ certificate
The Internal Quality Assurer can be appointed from staff within your workplace, provided there is no conflict of interest, such as having trained the candidates. To submit your completed IQA report, sign in to your RLSS UK Account, navigate to My Details > Additional Information, and click on the ‘First Aid TA Annual IQA Form Submission’ link. Please note that if you have not delivered a course within a year and have lost access to your first aid resources, you must arrange an IQA for your next course. If your access to resources has been removed, please contact the RLSS UK Compliance team at 0300 323 0096, who can provide temporary access. All relevant resources to carry out IQA checks, including completed examples, can be found within the ATC/P Coordinators RLSS UK Account under Resource & Documents > ATC and ATP Administration > Internal Quality Assurance. Ensuring that all First Aid TAs are quality-assured helps maintain high standards and remain compliant.
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Compliance
P E R M I TT E D R EAS O N A B L E A D J U ST M E N TS We have noticed an increase in requests for common reasonable adjustments, such as extra time for theory exams or the provision of a reader for individuals with dyslexia. Certain adjustments can be granted at the discretion of the Approved Training Centre/Provider (ATC/P) without needing to apply to us. Below is a table of adjustments taken from our Reasonable Adjustment and Special Consideration Policy that can be granted by the ATC/P. Please note that this list is not exhaustive, and other adjustments may also be considered.
The ATC/P must maintain records of all reasonable adjustments made, as they may be requested by RLSS UK for audit purposes to monitor applications for internal product development. A sample form is available within your resources area. Alternatively, you may use your own form, provided it contains the same information. If you are an ATC/P Coordinator or Trainer Assessor, there is a free online learning module in your RLSS UK account designed to give a brief introduction to Reasonable Adjustments: ‘ATC/P and TA Reasonable Adjustment Introduction’.
Reasonable Adjustment
Assessments taken under examination conditions
Extra time up to 25%
Permitted
Supervised rest breaks
Permitted
Change in the layout of the assessment room
Permitted
Candidates to take the examination solely under the moderation of an Assessor
Permitted
Taking the assessment at an alternative venue
Permitted
Use of coloured overlays
Permitted
Use of paper-based bilingual dictionary
Permitted
Assessment materials on coloured paper
Permitted
Reader
Permitted
N P LQ L A P S E D Q UA L I F I CAT I O N S We are seeing an increase in special consideration applications from ATC/Ps for candidates who missed their requalification deadline but can still requalify within 28 days of their expiry date. Candidates who fail to requalify prior to their qualification expiry date can still be put forward as renewal candidates up to 28 days after expiry, providing they hold at least 20 hours of CPD (further information can be found in section 3.5 Certificate Duration and Re-qualification in the NPLQ Guidance and Syllabus). If a candidate fails during the 28-day period, they can be reassessed during this period, but all reassessments must be completed within the 28-day post-expiry date period. If the candidate does not requalify or complete any outstanding reassessments within the 28 days after expiry, they must meet the criteria for and be assessed as a new candidate, e.g. provide evidence of 36 hours of training in the full syllabus of the NPLQ, complete all activities and revision questions in the NPLQ candidate manual. Further details can be found in the NPLQ Guidance & Syllabus, page 16.
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Water Safety Partners
WATER SAFETY PARTNERS: A shared passion to help improve water safety so everyone can safely enjoy being in, on, or around water.
NEW WATER SAFETY PARTNERS Airspace One of our newest RLSS UK Water Safety Partners is Airspace Solutions. Airspace manufactures and supplies inflatable water play equipment in the UK for swimming pools and shares RLSS UK’s aim to ensure everyone can enjoy water safety. For more information about Airspace Solutions, visit www.rlss.org.uk/airspace-solutions Airspace Solutions will be joining RLSS UK at Elevate on Wednesday 18 and Thursday 19 June 2025, at the ExCel Arena, London. Come and have a chat!
HoxtonAi We are delighted to announce that HoxtonAi has become an RLSS UK Water Safety Partner. Their Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology efficiently and effectively monitors occupancy levels of physical spaces, such as changing rooms, swimming pool halls, and even whole leisure pools and water parks. The real-time occupancy data prevents unnecessary restrictions or overcrowding and helps ensure a safer swimming environment. For more information about HoxtonAi, visit www.rlss.org.uk/News/hoxtonai-become-rlss-uk-water-safety-partner
RESTUBE We are also pleased to announce that RESTUBE has become an RLSS UK Water Safety Partner. RESTUBE is a small water safety device designed to give you peace of mind during all activities in, on, and around the water. In an emergency, you just pull the trigger, and the RESTUBE safety buoy inflates automatically and delivers additional buoyancy instantly so you can stay above water, relax, or help others in need. For more information about RESTUBE, visit www.rlss.org.uk/restube
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Water Safety Partners
Be Red Rescue Ready for the Coming Season With the 2025 summer season rolling around the corner, is your kit ready for another spring/summer of hard wear and tear? Inflatable boards bring massive benefits when it comes to storage and transportation compared to traditional hard boards. They are much safer and easier to use and, if they are good quality, are incredibly durable. When it comes to inflatables – Red Rescue make the very best. Their MSL construction and patented RSS Stiffening system create an inflatable that performs like a hard board. Having worked with RLSS UK, RNLI, SLSNZ, and many other global lifesaving experts to tailor the designs, they always ‘Perform Under Pressure’.
The full range is available on RLSS UK Shop: shop.rlss.org.uk/collections/red-rescue
Are You a Skilled Lifeguard or Lifeguard Trainer Looking for Exciting and Varied Work Opportunities? LoanALifeguard provides lifeguards for leisure centres, holiday parks, hotels, private events, film productions and festivals —giving you the chance to work in diverse settings and build your professional experience. Their prestigious clients include well-known names like the BBC, Manchester United, Warner Hotels, and Merlin Entertainments, which offer you the opportunity to work at high-profile events and venues. As a member of the LoanALifeguard team, you’ll get
support from a company that values your skills and ensures you have the training and resources you need. Whether you’re a seasoned lifeguard, qualified trainer, or just starting out, LoanALifeguard offers flexible hours and competitive pay, with the opportunity to work in varied locations, ranging from bustling leisure centres to glamorous film sets. If you’re passionate about lifeguarding and love variety, they’d love to hear from you! www.jobsforlifeguards.com
For more information about becoming a Water Safety Partner, please email learnmore@rlss.org.uk.
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Careers
The Leisure Industry CAREERS THAT GROW WITH YOU! Our jobs are a large part of our day-to-day life; therefore, it is ideal if it is something you enjoy, gives you purpose, allows you to progress towards your career goals and aligns with your lifestyle and ambitions. At RLSS UK, we are champions for starting and growing a career– many of our trustees, staff and trainers started as lifeguards! We share some of their career path stories on www.rlss.org.uk/istartedasalifeguard, and you’ll also see a few famous faces on that page! If you’re looking for inspiration on what a career in leisure could look like or what your next steps could be, we’re sharing a few career pathways on these pages to help you.
Pool Management For those looking for the next step after lifeguarding, you could consider developing skills and taking on more responsibility by completing the RLSS UK National Pool Supervisor Qualification (NPSQ) or the RLSS UK National Pool Plant Operators Certificate, which the Institute of Swimming (IoS) delivers. You could even progress into leadership positions, such as General Duty Manager or Aquatics Manager, which the RLSS UK National Pool Management Qualification (NPMQ) could help you achieve or feel confident doing. 42
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Lifeguarding Lifeguarding is a job you can do from 16 years old, making it a great part-time job to fit around studying at school and college. It is also a great job if you are hoping to go to university in the future – some big leisure brands can help transfer your employment to a different location or even enable you to work between more than one centre. What’s more, RLSS UK’s National Pool Lifeguard Qualification (NPLQ) can even help with university applications because it offers eight UCAS tariff points! If you are already a lifeguard, did you know that your qualification can help you access casual work or volunteering opportunities at open water events or festivals, such as the Great North Swim? There are also work opportunities available whilst travelling and living abroad in hotels, cruises, or camp programmes such as Camp America. If you are interested in learning more about these opportunities, check out www.rlss.org.uk/external-jobs for more details.
Careers
Swim Schools & Teaching
Training
If you love being in the water, then why not teach the next generation to enjoy it just as much as you do? Becoming a swimming teacher offers similar casual or part-time work as lifeguarding, and it can even be an additional income around your lifeguarding hours. Full-time jobs are also available. Swim teaching can be done through traditional employment options at leisure centres or swim schools, but it can also be done via self-employment routes. Maybe your dream is to start your own business one day – teaching swimming could offer you a route to that! For swimming teachers and swim schools looking to enhance their skills, do not forget to check out our RLSS UK National Rescue Award for Swimming Teachers and Coaches (NRASTC) qualification and our RLSS UK Swim School Health and Safety Award. Visit www.rlss.org.uk/pool-safety for more details.
Becoming a trainer offers a variety of career development opportunities. Some trainers start in the leisure environment they began in, by training the next generation of lifeguards. However, a world of teaching and training opens once you qualify as an RLSS UK Trainer Assessor (TA). You can provide RLSS UK qualifications within your place of employment, for the staff and/or you could offer courses to the public, such as First Aid at Work, which almost all local businesses need for their own employees. Some of our RLSS UK TAs have even started their own successful training business, where they go into businesses across the UK and Ireland to train their staff and/ or provide courses to the public.
If you want to learn more, check out the Become an RLSS UK Trainer Assessor webpage at www.rlss.org.uk/become-atrainer-assessor.
Emergency Services & Healthcare It is probably no surprise that many people who start as a lifeguard progress into the emergency services or healthcare industry. The skills you learn as a lifeguard (communication, first aid, CPR and more) are naturally transferrable into these industries as once you have that dopamine hit of helping others, you often want to continue to do so! Check out www.rlss.org.uk/istartedasalifeguard to learn how lifeguarding helped individuals get into the ambulance service, fire and rescue service, police service and healthcare.
LIFESAVERS // May 2025
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2025
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LIFESAVERS // May 2025
Lifesaving Sport Update
THE COUNTDOWN TO
COMMONWEALTHS In case you missed it, RLSS UK is gearing up to host the 2025 Commonwealth Lifesaving Championships this summer, from 10 – 13 July! With just two months to go, excitement is building as we make the finishing touches to the event plans. For the first time ever, the championships will be held in Swansea, Wales and our event team has been visiting the fantastic venues we have secured throughout the course of the year (and taste-tested plenty of Welsh Cakes!).
Wales National Pool The competitions will be held at the Wales National Pool, which boasts an Olympic-sized pool and 1,200 spectator seats for family and friends to watch the action in comfort.
Athletes’ Village Just a short drive away is Swansea Bay Campus, which will be the hub of our ‘Athletes’ Village’, providing attendees with fantastic accommodation and a place to eat and socialise. On site competitors will find a pay-as-you-go gym to keep them active, as well as plenty of ‘Swansea Uni Cycles’ - a fun way to get around campus. Coach transport will also be provided to ensure teams can easily travel between Swansea Bay and the pool.
The Great Hall Swansea Bay Campus is also home to the Great Hall, our fabulous venue for the closing ceremony dinner dance with stunning coastal views across the bay. The Great Hall is just a stone’s throw away from our Athletes’ Village and we’ve lined up some amazing entertainment for the evening to give everyone a real taste of Wales!
Croeso!
The registration deadline is approaching on 30 May 2025 so if you’d like to come along and watch the action unfold on home soil, now is the time to do so. We can’t wait to welcome you!
LIFESAVERS // May 2025
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Speeds 2025
T
he weekend of the 29 – 30th March saw the National Speed Lifesaving Championships (affectionately known as Speeds) kick off RLSS UK’s exciting 2025 Lifesaving Sport calendar! The competition is the largest of its kind in the UK and sees athletes aged 12+ competing for national titles in Lifesaving Sport. This year’s event was one of the biggest in Speeds history, with nearly 600 competitors, and it was great to return to the fantastic facilities at Sandwell Aquatics Centre - a venue purpose-built for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games - after making our debut there last year. After the success and popularity of last year’s YouTube livestream, we were also delighted to welcome back the team from Alan March Sport, who streamed and commentated the weekend’s events, enabling people from around the UK, Ireland and further afield to watch all the action as it happened!
First time we attended and thought it was excellent. Thanks to everyone for their hard work and effort. It was a great event, and we will return. Team Manager
Saturday Events got underway bright and early on Saturday, with the fast and furious 50m Manikin Carry followed by the 50m Manikin Carry (Half). Excitement started early as Connie Millar brought in a new Speeds record in the 15-18 years category of the 50m Manikin Carry in 37.99 seconds! The hotly anticipated Super Lifesaver took place next, a selection event ahead of the Commonwealth Lifesaving Championships 2025 for the top athletes in the country. Sally Carter and James Blaby took gold for England with their impressive efforts in the Female and Open category respectively. The final morning event of the Mixed Pool Lifesaver Relay saw RASCALS medal across each category. Energy remained high moving into the afternoon. Fabienne Demoor beat the pre-existing Speeds result set by her own club, Bournemouth LSC, to medal for the 100m Obstacles in the Women’s 60 years + category. In the 200m Obstacles Open Category, Beacon LSC had huge successes in the 15+ and 19+ years Open Category. Day one ended with high-energy Line Throws across each category. Jersey Aquatics snatched the gold with a fierce 15.84 second win in the 15-18 years Female category. In the Open age group, Crawley Town LSC saw a 00.01 second difference between their first and second place winners!
Scan the QR code for results or visit: www.rlss.org.uk/lifesaving-sport-results
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Speeds 2025
Thank you to our event organisers, Officials, volunteers and the brilliant staff at Sandwell Aquatics Centre for all your support and assistance. A special ‘thank you’ also goes out to the fantastic network of athletes, Coaches, Team Managers, parents and supporters who attended. Without all of you, RLSS UK Speeds would not be possible.
Sunday Our athletes were clearly raring to go for round two on Sunday with more record-breaking performances. Day two started with the 100m Manikin Carry with Fins where spectators witnessed Jack Sadberry smash the British Record with a 45.38 second win! Switching to the afternoon, in the 50m Manikin Tow, Leeds LSC and Belfast Olympia dominated the top spots. The same can be said for Loughborough Students as their athletes Abby Comline, Emily Robson and Rhiannon Marchant placed first, second and third in the 100m Rescue Medley. Next came the 100m Manikin Tow - Blyth LG&SC were successful, taking wins in the 30-39 years and the 50+ years Female Category and Crawley Town LSC took multiple wins across the age categories in the Open races. Speeds 2025 ended with the Medley Relays, a highly sought after title for clubs, In the 15+ Female Category Belfast Olympia took the top spot, and Beacon LSC topped the podium for the Open category. Watch our Lifesaving Sport videos on the RLSS UK YouTube channel
NLA Sport Awards Our suite of Sport Awards, which are part of the National Lifesaving Academy (NLA), provides a fantastic opportunity for lifesavers and swimmers aged 12+ years to get involved with Lifesaving Sport. The awards are structured in a way that allows athletes to improve their fitness whilst learning the basic skills required in Lifesaving Sport, before progressing to awards that develop specialist skills in different events. Participants can specialise in one event or challenge themselves to collect all of the Sport Awards!
www.rlss.org.uk/sport-awards
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Clubs & Branches
Updates from our
Clubs & Branches Introducing Pendle Lifesaving Club in Lancashire In 2024, experienced lifesaver Stephen Grant set up a new club – Pendle Lifesaving Club – of which he is now the Club Chair.
Project SHIFA reaches seldom heard communities Project SHIFA is a local volunteer outreach programme run by University College London medical students. The project aims to teach basic life support skills to the wider community, especially those that are often more difficult to reach - the elderly, those from lower income backgrounds and ethnic minorities. The team achieves this through the hearts of their communities - the mosques. The club members believe that everyone should have access to education on lifesaving skills, to help their family, friends, and strangers. Many of their volunteers did not have these learning opportunities prior to medical school, and it is found that knowledge of basic life support (BLS) is less widespread throughout the Muslim community. This is something Project SHIFA hope to change. At the core of Project SHIFA are values that are held close in Islam - compassion, mercy, love for neighbours. They believe that saving a life is equivalent to saving the entirety of mankind. Through creating safe and friendly learning spaces, the volunteers aspire to provide opportunities for everyone to be of benefit not only to themselves, but others in any way they can. They hope to build lasting relationships with the institutions that they work with, promoting BLS as a key cornerstone in the intersection between faith, healthcare, and education.
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Stephen has been involved in lifesaving in Pendle for the last 15 years, starting his career as a lifeguard where he quickly developed to become a swimming teacher. With a passion for the industry, Stephen said: “I’ve always wanted to progress and develop my skills and teach.” In 2015, Stephen became an RLSS UK Trainer Assessor and worked with Pendle Leisure Trust to develop its internal staff training sessions and train new staff in their National Pool Lifeguard Qualification (NPLQ). These days, Stephen works full time as a Health & Safety Advisor and is teaching the lifeguards that he used to teach in the learn to swim program as a teacher, to upskill and become instructors themselves! Since opening last year, Pendle Lifesaving Club has enrolled more than 100 children onto the Rookie Lifeguard Programme and more than 50 onto the National Lifesaving Academy through a variety of awards. Stephen added: “Lifesaving isn’t just important in the obvious ways of interventions and preventing drowning, it is also a fun and social event each week that teaches children valuable life skills.” With Stephen’s experience and guidance in lifesaving, he has big plans for lifesaving in Pendle. He has been able to upskill current lifeguards and expand their Rookie Lifeguard Programme, which in turn will ensure further development of the lifesaving club for both pool and open water environments. RLSS UK is excited to see Pendle Lifesaving Club’s big plans and opportunities for growth in 2025!
Clubs & Branches
Rawmarsh Lifesaving Club, Rotherham, celebrates 55th anniversary
More AEDs are provided locally across Kent by Gravesham Lifesaving Club
A congratulations are in order for Rawmarsh Lifesaving Club which has celebrated 55 years of teaching young people to stay safe in and around water.
Gravesham’s Automated External Defibrillator (AED) project, where the lifesaving club install and teach the public how to use AEDs, is going from strength to strength since starting in 2020.
The club has come a long way since starting at Rawmarsh Baths in the 1970s, with the focus of getting children and young adults off the streets. In the 80s and 90s, the club moved to the old Sheffield Road Baths and is based at Aston Leisure Centre today. Over the years the club has had representation for GBR at the World, Commonwealth and European Lifesaving Championships. Stephen Ward, who is Chair of Rawmarsh Lifesaving Club, is proud of the fact that there are still members in the club since its ‘fledgling years’. He himself has been part of the club for 34 years – since he was eight! In March, the club hosted a celebratory event to mark the milestone for members old and new at the Phoenix Sports and Social Club.
The first AED was bought through raising money with support from the local Scout group, local businesses and the wider public. After purchasing the AED and cabinet, the club arranged for it to be fitted, and the Mayor of Gravesham officially opened it. At the heart of the projects, local partnerships are key. The club has partnered with The Community Heartbeat Trust to provide the defib in Chalk alongside an ongoing support package. In Gravesend town centre, they worked with The Grand, a local youth group. This project was part funded by London Hearts charity and funding from Kent County Council. Once more, the mayor unveiled the defib after it was installed, and the club voluntarily monitor it and keep it serviced. All three AEDs have been activated on 999 calls, totalling 21 occasions. Thankfully, only once were pads required to be applied to the patient, and no shock was needed. The project continues to expand, and the club remains dedicated, as they have offered support to another local church which wishes to purchase an AED.
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Clubs & Branches
Congratulations to all of the RLSS UK Clubs which have successfully completed levels of the Club Check Accreditation in 2024. Here’s just some of the clubs that have gotten involved! We are hugely proud of all our voluntary club members who have used their precious time to take this extra step for their club. It is essential for ensuring the health of the society into the future; therefore, we must have strong, safe and sustainable clubs that adhere to the latest legislation, governance and compliance.
Visit www.rlss.org.uk/club-check to learn more - the next window to apply will be from July to August 2025 so be prepared! If your RLSS UK Club has any questions or would like to arrange a 1 to 1 consultation with a member of the Club Development Team, please email clubsupport@rlss.org.uk
Ely Rookies One of our stand-out clubs that has become Club Check accredited is Ely Rookies, based in Cambridgeshire. Starting in 2024, with a focus on lifesaving sessions for 8 to 12 year-olds, the club is now looking to incorporate the National Lifesaving Academy for 2025 as it goes from strength to strength! Paul, one of the Co-Chairs of Ely Rookies, recognised the potential for further skill building after his daughter, Isla, finished lessons with her swim school. Having been a part of a local lifesaving club historically, he realised it had dissolved, and conversations began with Lucy (a fellow Co-Chair) and Polly who ran Isla’s swim school. Ely Rookies are grateful to local businesses alongside RLSS UK for providing or donating kit that has allowed the start-up of the club to go so swimmingly! Isla (pictured right) completed her own Make a Splash challenge last year, which helped raise vital funds for RLSS UK. 50
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BULSCA
BULSCA UPDATE
Hear from Tom Park, Chair of the British Universities Lifesaving Club Association (BULSCA), as the league season is in full swing! Our simulated emergency response competitions (SERC) and speed events are always varied and exciting, putting individual and team lifesaving skills to the test.
Are you heading to university soon?
Check out these institutions that have BULSCA clubs running! UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM
OUR COMPETITIONS INVOLVE:
UNIVERSITIES OF NOTTINGHAM UNIVERSITIES OF BRISTOL
Dry SERC A dry scenario competed in a team of four lifesavers. Teams have 2 minutes to respond to the unseen scenario in front of them. This season so far, we have had a meditation-session gone wrong, an incident in a hotel lobby, an electrocution incident on an obstacle course and a snow-stormed café in Alaska!
UNIVERSITIES OF SHEFFIELD LOUGHBOROUGH UNIVERSITY WARWICK UNIVERSITY SWANSEA UNIVERSITY UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHAMPTON
Wet SERC A wet scenario competed in the same team of four lifesavers. Teams still have 2 minutes to respond to an unknown emergency developing in the water. So far this season teams have battled through emergencies at Disneyworld, during heatwaves on Australian beaches, scout-camp kayak accidents and the aftermath of a coastal burst sewage pipe!
The Speeds We run a 4 x 12m rope throw relay event, followed by one lifesaving relay (manikin carry, medley, obstacles or pool lifesaver) and then finish the competition with our signature 4 x 100m contact swim and tow relay. It is an exhausting yet exciting day for all involved!
UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD UNIVERSITY OF PLYMOUTH
Want to set up a lifesaving club at your university? Get in touch with BULSCA (@bulsca) via our Instagram to find out more and get support from us!
Afterwards, we head for social food and drink while we await the results. After four league competitions our current standings are: Overall
A-league
B-league
1st Birmingham
1st Loughborough
1st Loughborough
2nd Warwick
2nd Birmingham
2nd Birmingham
3rd Loughborough
3rd Warwick
3rd Warwick LIFESAVERS // May 2025
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Westminster Update
The latest in Westminster
Maintaining the water safety lobbying agenda
O
ur new Westminster intern, Sian, has been settling into Parliament alongside a new cohort of MPs and although the General Election in the summer of 2024 may have impacted lots of RLSS UK’s Parliamentary plans, this has also provided an opportunity for us to expand our connections, and build lots of new ones too! In Westminster, Sian, supported by the team at RLSS UK HQ, continues to lobby Members of Parliament to include water safety in the English National Curriculum. For the first time, water safety education is now included in the draft revision of the Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE) curriculum, but the team will continue to add pressure until this is made official. Planning for our annual Drowning Prevention Week event in June is well underway and we’re sure it will be a big success – so long as we are not surprised by a second General Election! Here we hope to see MPs, civil servants, press and members of the public coming together to learn about the importance of practical water safety skills and knowledge across the UK. In the meantime, the RLSS UK team is working constantly to increase the momentum behind our campaign throughout Westminster and across the rest of the country too. With that in mind, we are also focusing on increasing our presence in Scotland and Wales, building new and stronger relationships with politicians in these governments.
If you would like to find out more about the work I get up to or just fancy a chat, feel free to get in touch with me via the below e-mail sianaitken@rlss.org.uk
I N T RO D U C I N G S I A N A I T K E N
RLSS UK’s Westminster Intern
Sian said: “Coming from a coastal town in Pembrokeshire, Southwest Wales, I have always known and loved the sea. Although the weather wasn’t always perfect, I grew up with many water-based hobbies ranging from competitive swimming to lifeguard training and spent many fun years as a Sea Scout. My Friday afternoons growing up (admittedly predominantly in the summer months), were spent splashing around in the water, swimming, paddle-boarding and surfing – well at least trying to! The water was a key part of my youth and having experienced this I am passionate about ensuring every child across the UK and Ireland may have such opportunities, and most importantly knowledge of how to enjoy the water safely. Although I am very proud of my Welsh roots, I did move to England for university, first to sunny Cambridge for my undergraduate degree and now to busy London for my master’s at the London School of Economics in International Social and Public Policy. It is here that I have joined RLSS UK on an internship to help support the political agenda from the House of Lords. Driven by my passion for the water and with the huge support of the RLSS UK team, I represent the charity’s policy aim in Westminster to introduce water safety as a mandatory part of England’s National Curriculum. My main mission is to meet with Members of Parliament to spread the important message of water safety, encouraging them to support our goals as much as possible. This has been a really exciting experience so far with my first week involving a meeting with an MP to arrange a debate about the importance of water safety in Government. I am thrilled to have the opportunity to contribute to actual change in a policy area that I fully support. I feel motivated on a daily basis to make a difference in the corridors of Westminster.”
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Strategic Partnerships
Strategic Partnerships Our strategically aligned partners work with us to stay at the forefront of expertise, communities and innovation; they complement our delivery with their own products, services and representatives, and strategic viewpoint. By partnering with like-minded organisations who share our values and our passion, we can collectively shout
louder about water safety, getting active in and around water, and speak directly to the heart of communities.
Our partnerships work in mutually beneficial and collaborative ways to share expertise, amplify our water-safety awareness campaigns and jointly invest in research and innovation.
Here are some of our recent collaborations and projects...
We’ve collaborated with the Met Office to give weather-related hints and tips about staying safe when around water. Our co-branded graphics, “Be bright, take a light” and the “Make sure you know the Water Safety Code” were jointly shared on social media over the winter. We are looking forward to continuing our strategic partnership with the Met Office into the summer, especially on days where temperatures exceed 25ºc, and we typically see an increase in the number of people getting into trouble in the water when trying to cool down. RLSS UK’s expert water safety advice now features on the WeatherReady pages of the Met Office’s website and can be viewed here www.metoffice.gov.uk/weatherready. The WeatherReady pages publicise expert seasonal advice from carefully selected organisations to help members of the public prepare for and respond to the weather.
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Strategic Partnerships
If you think you know of an organisation that would be interested in working with us, please contact us at partnerships@rlss.org.uk or point them in our direction!
SURFERS AGAINST SEWAGE is recognised as one of the UK’s leading marine conservation charities. The organisation raises awareness of climate change, water quality, coastal development and plastic pollution and the impact this has on nature and our ability to enjoy water. RLSS UK is proud to partner with Surfers Against Sewage and support its campaign activities over the summer to help advocate for clean and safe water across the UK. We also have some exciting plans moving forward.
WATER BABIES nurtures children’s development and confidence both in and out of the water, delivering baby and toddler swimming lessons taught by highly qualified, experienced teachers.
im
to sw Learn safely
from birth
Water Babies has been hugely supportive of our newest campaign, Splash Safety at your Pad, sharing our content on social media and also creating a jointly branded leaflet. The leaflet tells parents of young children all about the benefits of babies and young children learning to swim, side-by-side with information about how to keep them safe at bath time. The collaboration is a great example of how our continued work with our partners goes hand-in-hand to strengthen our mission and better support communities to learn how to stay safe around water! You can see the leaflet here: www.rlss.org.uk/strategic-partner-water-babies
As noted in our Rookie Rescue Skills programme (Page 20-21), we joined forces with our incredible new strategic partner, LEVEL WATER, to create a new lifesaving skills award designed to incorporate more accessible learning styles and techniques to children with disabilities. This collaboration is an example of strategic partnership work at its finest; bringing what we do best (water safety) to children who already love swimming. It is a pathway to continue their passion where routes did not exist before and acts as a solution to help protect vulnerable young people around water. By combining the very best of RLSS UK’s expertise in lifesaving and qualifications with Level Water’s knowledge and experience providing swimming opportunities for children with disabilities, we have created something really special together. At RLSS UK, we are proud to provide an opportunity for children with disabilities to gain qualifications and progress into lifesaving in the future.
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Fundraising
FUNDRAISER
OF THE YEAR : LUSTYs Through their efforts completing Make a Splash in 2024, the LUSTYs raised an impressive £1,728 for RLSS UK. They also used their platform to promote water safety, sharing their message through local radio and television news channels. Their dedication and spirit have truly inspired the RLSS UK community. Joy, who battles MS, finds that swimming in the thermal spring water helps alleviate her symptoms, she said: "There are days when I can barely move, but the moment I step into the pool, I feel a sense of relief and freedom. “The blue badge lane has made it possible for me to continue swimming, even on my toughest days." Diane, who is living with blood cancer, added: "The pool is my sanctuary. It's where I can forget about my illness and focus on my strength and resilience. The blue badge lane has given me the confidence to keep pushing forward.”
Congratulations
We are thrilled to announce that the 2024 RLSS UK Fundraiser of the Year has been awarded to the incredible Ladies Unsynchronised Swim Team, affectionately known as the LUSTYs. The LUSTYs took on the 2024 Make a Splash challenge with enthusiasm and determination, using a dedicated blue badge lane at their local outdoor pool at Matlock Bath, Derbyshire. This new feature, complete with easy access steps and a dedicated adult-only swimming pool, has been a game-changer for the team. Comprising of five remarkable women, the LUSTYs face significant health challenges, including Postural Tachycardia Syndrome (PoTS), Alzheimer's, stroke, blood cancer, COPD, asthma, Multiple Sclerosis (MS), and thyroid cancer. Despite these obstacles, they find joy and therapeutic benefits in their outdoor, chlorinefree pool filled with thermal spring water. Swimming all year round, the LUSTYs have found great support and often solace together.
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We are proud to celebrate the LUSTYs' achievements and honour them as our 2024 Fundraisers of the Year. Their story shows the importance of community fundraising and support, and the reason for advocating for accessible swimming facilities to enable everyone to enjoy water safely.
Fundraising
FUNDRAISING
ROUND UP Thank you to all our fantastic fundraisers who took part in our challenges (or created their own) throughout 2024! We saw an incredible number of dedicated and enthusiastic fundraisers who supported our mission to increase water safety education in their communities by raising as much money as possible for us.
From an exhausting non-stop 24hour swim to a challenging mountain hike, our fundraisers went above and beyond to make a difference.
How people collected donations
• • • • •
Created personalised fundraising pages on our website for their challenges Ran educational sessions collecting donations in return Placed RLSS UK donation tins across the country Sent one of our charity cards along with a donation to RLSS UK Personalised Charity Cards & eCards supporting Royal Life Saving Society UK Signed up to our Charity Lottery
A year of extraordinary achievements
Our impact in numbers Over 70 individuals dedicated their time to fundraising for RLSS UK. An impressive
£26,765
was raised Thank you! Inspiring stories
Well done, Daniel!
Daniel Owens took on a 24-hour swim challenge, training tirelessly for months. His efforts not only raised significant funds for RLSS UK but also heightened awareness about our charity and the importance of water safety.
Thank you, Terry!
Terry Draycott deserves a special shoutout for raising hundreds of pounds by volunteering to deliver our RLSS UK Save a Life series throughout the year across Kent. His unwavering dedication to educating others and promoting safety has made a profound impact on his community.
What’s next? It’s great to see so many fundraisers already signed up for 2025 and we are excited to see what challenges they take on over the course of the year. Their efforts are crucial in raising vital funds to educate people about water safety across the UK and Ireland, in turn saving lives. LIFESAVERS // May 2025
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Fundraising
Sign up to a Challenge! Finmdoroeut WINDERMERE, LAKE DISTRICT | 13-15 JUNE 2025 Join our enthusiastic fundraisers who are ready to embark on this exciting challenge next month and enjoy an incredible adventure at Lake Windermere whilst fundraising for RLSS UK! If you are joining us over the weekend, make sure to visit our educational hub for fun and informative sessions designed to teach visitors essential water safety skills. Please also say a big thank you to our RLSS UK lifeguards and volunteers, who will be working hard to help keep everyone safe around the event site.
Volunteer with Us
There are still opportunities to volunteer as a part of the RLSS UK Lifeguard team and wider Great North Swim safety team. Over 7,000 swimmers take part in the Great North Swim over the three days of the event, therefore, it is a fantastic opportunity to be a part of a great team, ensuring the safety of all swimmers involved. You will gain invaluable experience in an incredibly supportive environment. Both NPLQ and OWL holders can apply.
If interested, please contact us at: volunteer@rlss.org.uk
Are you keen to take on a new fundraising challenge? Are you building up to conquer the London Classics? The sold-out Swim Serpentine is an event not to be missed. We still have a limited number of charity places left for those looking to take on the challenge of the twomile swim so visit our website to sign up for one of our free places now. All we ask is that you commit to fundraising a minimum of £350 for RLSS UK, enabling us to continue our charity’s mission and ensure that everyone can enjoy water safely across the UK and Ireland.
The atmosphere at the event was incredible! The sense of care between swimmers and the safety team made it an unforgettable experience. 58
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Fundraising
Donate Make a Summer Splash: Dive into fun, learning, and fundraising!
Support Trevor and Melonie on their heroic endurance walk adventure! Trevor and Melonie have embarked on an incredible 1,320-mile journey around 3 different countries! They started their amazing fundraising challenge on 25 April 2025 on the Camino de Santiago and aim to complete their challenge over four months. They will traverse the Portuguese Camino before coming back to the UK and taking on four further walks across England and Scotland. Trevor and his American partner, Melonie, who he met while walking the Camino de Santiago just last year, are determined to raise funds for RLSS UK. The charity is incredibly close to Trevor’s heart after he pulled a body out of the river ten years ago in a traumatic cold-water incident. Initially planning to do the Appalachian Trail which was unfortunately cancelled due to irreparable damage along the track, their preparation for this challenge has been nothing short of rigorous. They trained for five weeks in Florida starting in November last year, then returned to Scotland in January to continue their intense training, including the West Highland Way. Their fundraising target is set at £2,000, but Trevor and Melonie hope to exceed this with their extraordinary challenge. Every donation counts and will make a significant difference so please give what you can to help them smash their fundraising goal.
Summer holidays can be a challenge when it comes to keeping your children entertained and engaged. But no need to worry - you can keep them active with our Make a Summer Splash initiative!
The participant who raises the most funds for RLSS UK will win a special gift! HOW THEY’LL BENEFIT: Stay active: Keep your kids moving and healthy by participating in swimming activities at your local leisure centre or a lifeguarded open water pool. Continue their learning: Enhance their understanding of water safety. Make a difference: Teach the value of fundraising to support educational programs for children in various communities. HOW IT WORKS Sign up today: Register your child by choosing one of our three challenge distances to suit their abilities and get them excited to achieve their goals. Create a challenge name: Let your child come up with a unique name for their challenge and track it on our website. Fundraise: You’ll receive a pack in the post to help track your progress and sponsorship donations. Share success: Encourage your child to get their friends involved during the holidays and shout about their achievements when they return to school. This is a great opportunity for a show and tell!
So, what are you waiting for? Sign up today and make this summer unforgettable!
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FOR ALL YOUR LIFESAVING & LIFEGUARDING NEEDS MAKE A DIFFERENCE
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