Lights, camera, action – local children strike a pose to help save lives

Wombourne Leisure Centre was transformed into a set this week for a film and photoshoot for The Royal Life Saving Society UK (RLSS UK), the Drowning Prevention Charity.

RLSS UK staff and children from the local area took over the pool on Monday (February 15) morning to shoot images and record a film to promote its Rookie Lifeguard community programme and its National Pool Lifeguard Qualification (NPLQ).

RLSS UK Rookie Lifeguard programme educates children and teaches them key life skills including lifesaving, CPR and self-rescue, in a fun way for under 12s. RLSS UK lifeguards make up more than 95 per cent of pool lifeguards in the UK and both programmes ultimately support the charity’s aim of reducing drownings in the UK and promoting water safety education.

RLSS UK’s Director of Volunteer and Community Education, Mike Dunn, said: “The leisure centre was the perfect place to show how much fun our lifesaving awards can be while raising awareness of what we do and what’s on offer for anyone aged eight-years-old and up.

“We would like to thank the staff at the centre for making us so welcome and, of course, the local children who were our fantastic models for the day. Everyone enjoyed themselves and it was a great morning at a fantastic location.”

Wombourne Leisure Centre currently runs a number for RLSS UK programmes, including Rookie Lifeguard and NPLQ courses.

Portfolio Holder for South Staffordshire Council Environmental Services, Councillor Mary Bond said: “We are always looking to enhance the leisure centre’s programme and I am delighted that we are working with RLSS UK at Wombourne Leisure Centre to help us to do this.

“We were more than happy to also offer our pool for a few hours to help the charity raise awareness of what it does.”

Pictures and footage from the shoot will be used in a number of national promotional films and marketing campaigns throughout 2016.