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National lifesaving charity warns that a lack of volunteers will result in more drownings

Writer's picture: Love BallymenaLove Ballymena

Make 2021 the year you volunteer.


It might not have been the trophy but if we came away with anything from the Euros, it was the knowledge that a life can be saved in a matter of seconds.


Imagine what you could do if you could spare just a few hours.


The Royal Life Saving Society UK (RLSS UK) has a network of lifesaving clubs that stretch the length and breadth of the UK and Ireland, each supported by volunteers who are dedicated to their communities, passionate about saving lives and helping young people enjoy water safely.


RLSS clubs need your help!


With the pandemic closing pools, resulting in millions of young people going without vital swimming and water safety education, the unspeakably tragic period in July that saw 49 people drown in just two weeks, and theunfortunate impact of COVID-19 on the number of volunteers dedicated to water safety, RLSS is asking…


Is 2021 the year you volunteer?


Alice Bombroff

“I wasn’t sure what to expect when I joined The Pink Flamingos (Ibstock Life Saving Club),” says Alice Bombroff, a swim teacher in Coalville, “I got hooked straight away and just knew I wanted to make a positiveimpact and give something back to my community”.

Joining your local lifesaving club could be the opportunity you’ve been waiting for: forging new friendships, giving something back to your community and developing new skills, are just some of the wider benefits that come with volunteering your time to help others, but when you volunteer with your local RLSS UKand Ireland lifesaving club, the knowledge and skills you gain could also save someone’s life.


Bhavik Barochia

“I’ve been volunteering for 12 years now and it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made!” adds Bhavik Barochia, PhD student in Clinical Microbiology at the University of Southampton.


“I’ve made friends for life and the skills I’ve learnt have helped me educate the public on how to stay safe in the water.”


As we tackle the gap left in water safety education by the pandemic, our lifesaving club volunteers can make huge strides in helping everyone enjoy water safely, by simply learning and sharing our free water safety advice, they enhance their communities by becoming a water safety ‘champion’.


But that is just the start.


We never know what’s around the corner and each year, peoples’ lives are saved by the intervention of a stranger, an everyday hero. At the water’s edge, in the pub, at the supermarket – lifesaving skills can be called into action at a moment’s notice, and in those first few panicked minutes before the emergency services arrive, you could be the one that turns a tragedy into a triumph.


Be an everyday hero, be a lifesaver: make 2021 the year you volunteer with the Royal Life Saving Society UK.


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