The Royal Life Saving Society UK (RLSS UK), the leading charity in lifesaving and lifeguarding in the UK, has announced its new President, Deputy President and two new Trustees at its Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Saturday 15 October.  

Deborah Hunt stepped up from the role as Deputy President of RLSS UK, replacing Mark Smith as President, becoming the first female President of the charity. She will hold this position for the next three years. 

Deborah said: “I am passionate about equality, diversity, and inclusivity, so as the first female President I am excited to see RLSS UK start to reflect the volunteers and communities which we support. However, we are on a journey, and we must always continue to challenge and drive for improved representation and inclusion. What we do now and in the future impacts not only ourselves, but the success of others and RLSS UK.” 

Read more about Deborah becoming President

The charity also announced its new Deputy President, Andrea Mackown, who was voted by members after weeks of campaigning.  

Andrea worked for RLSS UK for seven years, experiencing all aspects of the charity work and on becoming Deputy President Andrea hopes to focus on re-engaging with members. Andrea says: “I feel well placed to support the organisation at Board level; influencing its future direction and strategy. I’ve met every category of member, celebrated your successes, shared solutions to local challenges and listened to your frustrations. I’ve worked with clubs at grassroots level, building skills and confidence. I’ve attended countless branch meetings the breadth of UK and Ireland.  

“As your Deputy President I will re-engage with members via this key trustee position, enabling you to know your voice is being heard at the highest level. I promise to serve you with integrity as your Deputy President and then President and will delight in representing you throughout my term." 

For the 2022 elections, there were also two Trustee positions available, and a number of candidates put themselves forward for the roles. After lots of fantastic campaigning from the candidates, the members of RLSS UK cast their votes and chose James Cossons and Peter Moyes to join the Board of Trustees.  

During his term as Trustee, James plans to continue to represent young people at the highest level whilst growing membership by engaging with the next generation of members.  

He said: "Our organisation has given me so much since starting at a local club at the age of 14 and through being Youth Advisor to the Board over the past four years.  

“The Youth Advisor role has taught me a lot and has been an enormous honour. I want to prove that no role within our society is out of reach for young people and be proof that as a society, we are actively encouraging and investing in our future volunteers."  

Peter has experience as a leader in the police, local authority and as a CEO of an education charity and during his term as Trustee he wants to focus on the impact of RLSS UK. Peter says: “The scale of our impact on drowning is proportionate to our investment in our people who drive changes in behaviour around water. Our impact on the pool environment is significant. Having the same impact on open water, rivers and beaches has eluded us so far, this is our collective challenge. 

“I read members' comments on social media and listen to you at events. This is how you shape what I do on your behalf and my commitment to members." 

RLSS UK Chief Executive, Robert Gofton said: “I would firstly like to thank Mark Smith for his tireless work over the years in his role as Trustee, Deputy President and President and wish him all the best for the future. 

“I would like to welcome Deborah to the role of President and look forward to working together over the next three years to continue to move the charity in the right direction. It is fantastic to have our very first female President of RLSS UK and to hear what Deborah wants to achieve during her Presidency is encouraging to show that we will be making progress with our journey to be fully inclusive and diverse.  

“We also welcome Andrea as Deputy President and James and Peter as Trustees. I know that all of them will show great commitment to RLSS UK and, using each of their different experiences and knowledge, allow us to all work together to achieve our aim of working towards a nation without drowning.“ 

The recording of the AGM can be viewed below: