24/01/2025

National charity, the Royal Life Saving Society UK (RLSS UK), has joined forces with strategic partner, Level Water, to improve access to swimming and water safety education for children with disabilities.

RLSS UK has worked with the team at Level Water to create a brand-new lifesaving award for swim teachers and lifesaving instructors to break down barriers and ensure that children from all backgrounds have the opportunity to learn basic self-rescue and lifesaving skills.

The desire to onboard more swim teachers as well as RLSS UK Rookie Lifeguard Instructors comes ahead of plans to launch brand-new Rookie Rescue Skills programme.

This initiative is set to be a new programme aimed specifically at children with disabilities who are six years old or over with the equivalent of a swimming Stage 3 in the Swim England Learn to Swim programme. It will provide them with an opportunity to learn about water safety and rescue skills, as a progression from swimming lessons.

In order to be able to roll out this initiative far and wide, RLSS UK is asking swim teachers across the UK to upskill and become Rookie Lifeguard Instructors – to help in their mission to deliver lifesaving skills to every child.

Matt Croxall, Charity Director at RLSS UK, said: “Here at the Royal Life Saving Society UK, we believe that no child should drown – and in order to achieve this, we must ensure all children have access to water safety lessons and education.

“We’re delighted to be partnering with Level Water to come together ahead of our much-anticipated Rookie Rescue Skills programme launch. A love for swimming and the water should always be paired with an awareness of water safety, which is what we hope to bring to children with disabilities.

“In order to spread this initiative far and wide upon its launch, we already have lots of brilliant Rookie Lifeguard Instructors on hand to upskill – and we’re calling for all swim teachers across the UK to also become Rookie Lifeguard Instructors to help us achieve our goal.”

Matthew Maguire, Head of Programmes at Level Water, said: "It's so exciting to be working in partnership with RLSS UK to increase the opportunity for young disabled people to learn vital safety and rescue skills.

“A huge part of our adapted swimming lesson programme is about teaching confidence, self-esteem and resilience and this partnership is the perfect opportunity for young people to show these skills off and increase their love for the water, whilst also giving families the chance to feel confident their child is safe in and around water.

“We're delighted to be a part of such an exciting partnership."

Places Leisure provided pool space at the Harborne Pool and Fitness Centre in Birmingham for the photography of the new Rookie Rescue Skills programme and will continue to support RLSS UK and Level Water by rolling out this new award.

Mark Haslam, Head of Swimming and Sport at Places Leisure, said: “We see the joy and benefits that swimming brings at our centres every day. We are continuously working to make more opportunities for people to swim and educating people on water safety goes hand in hand with this.

“Through many of our partnerships, including with RLSS UK and Level Water, we are all working together to make swimming more accessible and safer to all. We are delighted to be supporting the new Rookie Rescue Skills programme within our centres where we already run Rookie Lifeguard courses."

For more information on the Rookie Rescue Skills programme and how to upskill and become a Rookie Lifeguard Instructor now, visit: Rookie rescue skills