Ken Crass has been an RLSS UK member for a number of years, during which time he has taken on several roles from Chair, Tutor, Instructor and Trainer Assessor, and was recently appointed as an RLSS UK Ambassador at the 2016 RLSS UK Conference.

Following Ken’s appointment as Ambassador he has worked on several projects from working with Durham County Council to deliver the Don’t Drink and Drown campaign to the city to supporting the re-organisation of an inactive branch, shaping boundaries and re-vitalising the membership.

Here Ken tells his story: “I completed the Bronze Medallion while serving in the Durham Constabulary and have maintained an interest in lifesaving and drowning prevention since then. I then become one of the first members of Birtley Swimming Club and became an RLSS UK Trainer Assessor and Tutor.

I served on the Northumberland and Durham Branch for several years and served as Chairman during the 1990s. I have since maintained an intest in RLSS UK and became Regional Chairman in 2012. During the recent Governacne Review,  I was invited to become an RLSS UK Ambassador. Since then I have been working to promote RLSS UK, particularly on the Don’t Drink and Drown campaign and promoting water safety within Durham schools.

I loved being involved with the Don’t Drink and Drown campaign. The city of Durham has been blighted in previous years with student drownings, particularly linked to alcohol. This campaign is so important to these areas of our work that we continue to make a difference. In Durham we were able to partner with the council, fire service, police and the night-time economy to create an holistic and comprehensive plan to ensure the campaign was a massive success.

For all of my years involved with RLSS UK, the ambition has never been clearer - to be able to support and enable our wonderful volunteers to teach our awards and lead campaigns so that the public stays safe is my passion. Working in hand with RLSS UK headquarters ensures that we are in the right place at the right time and producing really tangible and exiting results.

As an Ambassador, I want to continue to grow and expand our provision within the communities I serve. I want RLSS UK to be a household name because we are actively stopping drownings by teaching and training communities to stay safe.”