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| Lifesaving has been with us for many centuries. As one Zen master advised; | ||||||
| "Never test the depth of the water with both feet!" | ||||||
| We hope you'll find our site of interest and want to join in with this fun and useful hobby. | ||||||
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| Introduction | ||||||
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The
Dorking Life Saving Club is a friendly and informal club, affiliated to
the RLSS, that provides people of all ages with the opportunity to learn
and practice life-saving skills.
Unlike
local authority courses, we run an ongoing programme of classes throughout
the year. Anyone is welcome to join at any time and they will be slotted
onto the class that best suits their experience, ability and ambitions.
We provide suitable classes and practical sessions for all the RLSS awards from Lifesaving 1 through to the Distinction Award and maintain close links with the local Branch. Candidates take the exam when they are ready to do so. This is a big advantage to anyone needing to take their qualification quickly, for example to work at a children's camp in America, and for anyone whose work or other commitments prevent them from attending regularly. Many of our members attend for several years because of the relaxed and sociable nature of the club and only attend classes when they want to renew a qualification or feel that their skills could do with a top up. The best way to find out how good we are is to pop along to one of our sessions. |
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| What we offer | ||||||
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Each
week, the club runs classes in resuscitation, essential first-aid, water safety, land- and
water-based self-preservation and rescue skills.
There are usually between four and six different groups working simultaneously. They cover all the skills and knowledge that is needed to satisfy the examination requirements for the various RLSS lifesaving qualifications. YOU DON'T NEED TO BE A STRONG SWIMMER TO BE A GOOD LIFESAVER. From around 7:30pm to 8:00pm the resuscitation and water safety sessions are run in the Centre crèche, and they are followed by an hour in the pool finishing at 9:00pm.
People usually come along and try one or two sessions, before joining for
the year. There is a small annual fee and then fees are payable termly -
you will find our rates are extremely reasonable when compared with
regular swimming clubs. When the
member (with the guidance of their teacher) feels confident and able to go
for the exam then we make all the necessary arrangements. In this way,
people who want to build up their swimming strength before taking the exam
can do so, while others who put in the effort and want to take the exam in
lightning quick time can do so too.
Our members range from around 10 to 80 years of age and there are roughly equal numbers of men and women. Most of us are just in it for fun, some are professional lifeguards, others are boy scouts or girl guides and others their leaders. We can provide all the training and experience needed for the service element of the Duke of Edinburgh's Award, and we do so for a number of local schools. Many of our members go on to qualify as Assistant Teachers or Trainer/Assessors and we organise courses for these qualifications when necessary. Our teaching staff are all unpaid volunteers; we are all highly qualified, and many of us play an active role in the Society at the County and National levels. We are all CRB checked. In 2008, one of our Assistant teachers won the Mole Valley Volunteer of the Year Award! We hold an AGM every December at which a Youth Representative is also appointed. |
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| Competitions | ||||||
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We are regularly involved in the Surrey Branch competition and can help individuals prepare for national events if they wish. This is a rapidly growing dimension to Life Saving, especially at University level, and as many of our members go on to higher education the club can provide a useful stepping stone into international competition. | |||||
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Specialist courses |
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From
time-to-time we run special courses. These include preparation for less
common RLSS awards, such as the Bronze and Silver Cross open water awards, and for those of the
Guides Association, as well as specialist programmes for Teachers and
Coaches of Swimming (the NRASTC).
We have also run courses for special interest groups such as the recruit fire fighters of the Surrey Fire and Rescue Service, Esso Petroleum and local schools' Parent Teacher organisations.
For the open water awards, each summer we
have offered options to be trained and assessed in the local area or on a
short residential programme in Dorset or Cornwall.
[Every rescue swimmer had to start
somewhere! RLSS UK awards provide a direct route to enter
professional rescue roles with the RNLI and other international agencies.]
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| Contacts | ||
| Sylvia Cousins | Alison Angiolini | Graham Wilson |
| 01372 274456 | 01372 453006 | 07785 222380 |
| SKCousins@aol.com | amangiolini@btinternet.com | graham@life-saving.net |
| This site was updated : 29/09/2009 | ||