Meet Stan – Who decided to become a lifeguard in his seventies!

“I have been a swimmer all my life, starting in Blackpool as a club swimmer, and when I moved to Penrith, I joined the club there and progressed to teach and coach Water Polo.

“My job as a long-distance truck driver took me all over Europe and 48 states of America, but I still kept up my swimming, wherever I was.

“Upon my return from America, we moved to Grimsby, where I joined Immingham Swimming Pool and then Grimsby Swimming when it opened.

It was here (whilst doing my regular swim) - that I noticed Darren, the Senior Operations Officer, and Kevin, the Training Officer, throw a life-size dummy into the deep end! A young lad (wearing a T-shirt and shorts) attempted the lifeguard assessment but could not complete the tasks, and the manikin was still at the bottom of the pool. I was down that end, so I offered to help by retrieving the manikin, which I did.

“I spoke to Darren about the standard of applicants, to which he replied: “If you have a T-shirt and shorts, get them on and let’s see what you can do.” Well, I do love a challenge! So I did just that and passed! He then challenged me to go on and complete the National Pool Lifeguard Qualification (NPLQ) course.

I jumped at the chance and passed! I then applied for a full-time lifeguard position at Grimsby Leisure Centre – which I love.

When I embarked on these challenges, I did not expect to be accepted, because of my age, now 74. But everybody has been very supportive and proves that you are never too old to achieve whatever your goal is as long as you have the confidence in your ability, put in the hard work and have the determination to succeed.  

Find out about our NPLQ Lifeguard Qualification