Teen lifeguards raising awareness of water dangers

Blythe, Lilly and Ionah all now work as lifeguards

Three teenage lifeguards are urging families to stay safe in the water this summer.

Blythe, Ionah and Lilly, from Weston-super-Mare, learned water safety and first aid training at Hutton Moor Leisure Centre.

The three 16-year-olds enrolled onto a Learn to Swim programme which teaches children to be confident and competent in the water, before joining a Rookie to Lifeguard course five years ago.

Blythe, who has been a lifeguard since October, said it is "unbelievably important" for people to be aware of water safety measures.

She said: “If things go wrong in the water and you don’t know how to orientate yourself, float, and be able to call for help then it could end up a lot worse."

The lifeguard course covers essential topics including hypothermia and rip currents and teaches students practical skills and knowledge which can be applied in dangerous situations.

Blythe said understanding water safety is "unbelievably important"

"I really like helping people," Blythe said.

In the past, she has helped people drowning in pools, and was also able to use her transferrable skills to help a classmate who was suffering from an asthma attack at school.

"It really is second-nature now. We can respond to these intense and scary situations so quickly," she added.

Lilly said she gets the "same adrenaline" every time she has to put her skills into practice

Last year, the Royal Lifesaving Society UK saw four times more children drown than in previous years.

The charity is encouraging parents to supervise their children in the water, to be aware of the hazards and to know what to do in dangerous situations.

It is also calling for water education to be taught to children in schools.

Lilly said she thinks there is a "lack of knowledge" about water safety among the general population.

"Out on the beach, the currents are probably the worst - especially here in Weston," she said.

"So many people get taken out by it."

Ionah has used her first aid skills outside of the pool

Ionah added that she believes water safety should be "advocated" for.

“You’d be really surprised at the amount of adults that don’t know how to swim," she said.

"It’s quite scary seeing them get in with their children because their children obviously don’t know how to swim either.

"The people keeping them safe are the lifeguards."

Jo Talbot is a director at the Royal Lifesaving Society UK

The water safety code is recognised nationally, which urges people to think about the situation they are in, stay with others, call 999 and float. Panicking uses a lot of energy.

Jo Talbot, a director from the Royal Lifesaving Society UK, said: “The general population look at water and think it’s amazing and fun and don’t necessarily understand the associated risks.

“Being able to swim a distance isn’t always enough - it’s about understanding the dangers around water and how to stay safe.

"We really just want parents to help educate their children and spread the message around how important water safety education is," she added.