Published 8 July 2016 

The heroes of water safety have been celebrated at the Royal Life Saving Society UK (RLSS UK) and IQL UK Awards 2016 for their commitment to drowning prevention.

Held on Friday 1 July at Staverton Park in Daventry, the awards were presented by Di Steer, CEO of RLSS UK, RLSS UK President Peter Moyes and Martin Symcox, Director of IQL UK.

“There is some fantastic water safety work going on in swimming pools across the UK and the awards are a great opportunity to give operators and individuals the recognition they deserve for the vital role they play in keeping the public safe. The judges were impressed with the calibre of entries and we’d like to congratulate all winners of this year’s awards,” said Martin Symcox.

The annual awards recognise and celebrate the training and development of lifeguards and the contribution that centres make to water safety and drowning prevention in their local communities. Among this year’s winners are Lifeguard of the Year, Kelli Smith, who rescued a student who had stopped breathing, from the bottom of pool at Derwen Swim Centre, and Julie Lane, who received Special Recognition for Outstanding Contribution to Lifesaving in the Community after 40 years dedicated to drowning prevention.

There were also awards for the winners of the IQLUK Lifeguard Triathlon. The UK’s biggest lifeguard competition took place throughout May and consisted of three key elements taken from the National Pool Lifeguard Qualification (NPLQ): Swim – two timed swims in the NPLQ assessment, theory – a 42 question paper based on the lifeguard manual and CPR – adult and child/infant CPR tests.

The winners of the RLSS UK and IQL UK Awards 2016 are:

• Single Site Approved Training Centre ~ Plymouth Life Centre
• Multi-Site Approved Training Centre (2-15 Sites) ~ Glasgow Life
• Multi-Site Approved Training Centre (15+ Sites) ~ 1Life Management Solutions Ltd
• Trainer Assessor of the Year ~ Donna Bristoll
• National Trainer Assessor of the Year ~ Graeme Morgan
• RLSS UK Lifeguard of the Year ~ Kelli Smith
• RLSS UK Lifeguard Team of the Year ~ Plymouth Life Centre
• Special Recognition for Outstanding Contribution to Lifesaving in the Community ~ Julie Lane
• Lifeguard Triathlon Male ~ Craig Scott and Phil Maynard
• Lifeguard Triathlon Female ~ Lizzie Shaw
• Lifeguard Triathlon Top Facility ~ Guildford Spectrum

Daniel Jacklin, who received the award for Multi-Site Approved Training Centre (15+ Sites) on behalf of 1Life Management Solutions, said: “It’s absolutely fantastic that 1 Life has won this award; we’ve worked very hard over the last year. I’d like to say a huge thank you to all of our Trainer Assessors, National Trainer Assessors and all of the lifesaving clubs that work with us on a daily and weekly basis. We’re ever so proud and I really hope that in the next year we’ll be able to go on and achieve much more.”

Julie Lane, who received Special Recognition for Outstanding Contribution to Lifesaving in the Community, said: “I’m absolutely delighted; I didn’t think I’d win. I was really shocked when I was nominated in the first place so this really is sort of a miracle.”

For more information on RLSS UK & IQL UK Awards 2016, please visit the website at www.rlss.org.uk.

Visit our Facebook page – www.facebook.com/RLSSUK

Call – 0300 3230 096