Open Water Lifeguard Training – May 2024

• Date: Sunday 26th – Tuesday 28th May
  Location: Weston’s Marine Lake
  Assessment: Tuesday PM
  Trainer: Kelly Long
  Spaces: 6

6 OWLS  will be trained on behalf of the Royal Lifesaving Society. They will be volunteers, and won’t belong to any individual organisation (such as Mudlarks, North Somerset Council). They can assist organisations such as the Mudlarks, North Somerset Council, Weston Town Council, SuperCulture etc if lifeguards are needed to help ensure safety at waterside or water based events. There will be no obligation to volunteer of course, but we will be looking for a certain level of commitment.

All training and equipment will be paid for by the Mudlarks, and the OWLS will be insured by the RLSS for the duration of their qualification (usually 2 years).

Outside of events, the opportunity for individuals to be supported by an OWL to go for a swim or a dip, will be promoted via the Active Weston network. This will enable individuals who are in contact with a Social Prescriber, a Healthy Lifestyle advisor or other community/health organisations, to have assistance from an OWL to get them into the water safely.

We will definitely not be teaching them to swim, just enabling their safety in and around the water.

As this project is funded there is a requirement to give feedback, but OWLS will be supported in that by the Mudlarks and it won’t be an onerous task.

Prospective OWL Requirements:

• Competent and confident in open water
• Able to submerge under the water confidently
• Able to swim 400m, continuously, on their front, and show urgency. won’t belong to any individual organisation