North Sea Volunteer Lifeguards (commonly abbreviated to NSVL) is a volunteer lifeguard club based in Tynemouth, North Tyneside, Tyne and Wear, England. It was founded in 1998, and has since become one of the largest lifeguard clubs in the UK with over 250 members from age 6 to 66. It is affiliated to the Royal Life Saving Society UK, but is also a charity in its own right, registered with the Charity Commission.
A lifeguard is a rescuer who supervises the safety and rescue of swimmers, surfers, and other water sports participants such as in a swimming pool, water park, spa, beach or river. Lifeguards are strong swimmers and trained in CPR/AED first aid, certified in water rescue using a variety of aids and equipment depending on requirements of their particular venue. In some areas, lifeguards are part of the emergency services system to incidents and in some communities,lifeguards may function as the primary EMS provider.
Tynemouth is a town and a historic borough in Tyne and Wear, England at the mouth of the River Tyne, being 8.1 miles (13.0 km) east-northeast of Newcastle upon Tyne. Historically part of Northumberland, the modern town of Tynemouth includes North Shields and Cullercoats and had a 2011 population of 67,519. It is administered as part of the borough of North Tyneside, but until 1974 was an independent county borough, including North Shields, in its own right. It had a population of 17,056 in 2001. The population of the Tynemouth ward of North Tyneside was at the 2011 Census 10,472.
The Metropolitan Borough of North Tyneside is a metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England, and is part of the Tyneside conurbation. The borough council's main office is at Cobalt Business Park in Wallsend. The local authority is North Tyneside Council.
It offers the full range of Royal Life Saving Society UK programmes and awards, and also some programmes affiliated to other organisations, such as the Heartstart programme which is co-ordinated by the British Heart Foundation. Its main focus is the beach lifeguard qualification, indeed in 2002 it was responsible for over 10% of all the beach lifeguard awards taken in the United Kingdom.
The Royal Life Saving Society UK is a drowning prevention charity founded in 1891 in the UK. It has had Royal Patronage since 1904.
The British Heart Foundation (BHF) is a charity organisation in the United Kingdom. It funds research to beat heartbreak from heart and circulatory diseases and their risk factors.
The club has regular training sessions throughout the year, training in the North Sea from its headquarters on Tynemouth Longsands and also at Tynemouth Pool.
NSVL is run by a committee of 10 club members, who are elected at the Annual General Meeting. However other club members play an important role in running the club, for example by teaching for courses and awards.
Surf lifesaving is a multifaceted movement that comprises key aspects of voluntary lifeguard services and competitive surf sport. Originating in early 20th century Australia, the movement has expanded globally to other countries including New Zealand, Ireland, South Africa, the United Kingdom. Surf lifesavers in Australia are colloquially known as "Clubbies".
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) is the largest charity that saves lives at sea around the coasts of the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man, as well as on some inland waterways. There are numerous other lifeboat services operating in the same area.
Surf Life Saving Northern Region (SLSNR) is the organisation responsible for controlling the surf lifesaving activities around the Auckland region of New Zealand. It is responsible for surf beaches from Far North Rescue to Raglan Surf Lfe Saving Club. It is a district organization of Surf Life Saving New Zealand. Founded in 1933, it currently has 17 affiliated clubs with more than 3000 volunteers. It currently employs 10 full-time staff and around 70 seasonal professional lifeguards.
Surf Life Saving New Zealand (SLSNZ) is the national association representing 74 Surf Life Saving clubs in New Zealand. The organisation's motto is 'In it for Life'. This refers to both the long relationship many members have with the organisation, as well as to the organisation's purpose of preventing drowning and injury, thereby saving lives.
The Marine Conservation Society (MCS) is the UK's leading marine environment, not-for-profit organisation. It works for the increased protection of the seas around the United Kingdom, via the creation of well managed marine protected areas. It works with fishermen and industry to find more sustainable ways of fishing and with retailers and consumers to buy and choose more sustainable seafood. It involves volunteers to carry out hundreds of beach cleans and surveys annually whilst also working with water companies and local communities to ensure UK bathing waters are of an excellent standard.
The Boxing Day Dip is a charity event where many of the swimmers are in fancy dress swim in the sea on Boxing Day. There are several such dips held around Europe, but the largest is organised by the Lions Club of Sunderland, England. Participants are expected to wear fancy dress and jump into the North Sea..
A Volunteer Life Brigade is a search and rescue organisation which assists HM Coastguard in the United Kingdom in coastal emergencies. Around 40 VLBs were established in the mid-to-late 19th century; today just three remain, continuing to provide shore-based search and rescue support from locations on the coast of north-east England. They are akin to, but predate, the volunteer Coastguard Rescue Service and the National Coastwatch Institution.
The International Life Saving Federation (ILSF) is an organisation for drowning prevention, water safety, lifesaving and lifesaving sports.
The Royal Life Saving Society Canada operates throughout Canada as the Lifesaving Society. The Lifesaving Society is a national, volunteer and charitable organization and registered charity composed of 10 provincial/territorial Branches, tens of thousands of individual members, and over 4,000 affiliated swimming pools, waterfronts, schools and clubs. The Society works to prevent drowning and water-related injury through its training programs, Water Smart public education, drowning prevention research, safety management and lifesaving sport.
Surf Life Saving Australia (SLSA) is an Australian not-for-profit community organisation that promotes water safety and provides surf rescue services.
Lifesaving is the act involving rescue, resuscitation and first aid. It often refers to water safety and aquatic rescue; however, it could include ice rescue, flood and river rescue, swimming pool rescue and other emergency medical services. Lifesaving also refers to sport where lifesavers compete based on skills, speed and teamwork. Lifesaving activities specialized in oceanic environment is called surf lifesaving or coastal lifesaving.
Karioitahi Beach is a black sand beach located in the southwest of the Auckland region, on the west coast of New Zealand's North Island.
The Ithaca–Caloundra City Life Saving Club is a Royal Life Saving Club based in Caloundra, Queensland, Australia.
Palling Volunteer Rescue Service is an independent, voluntary-manned and charitably-funded inshore rescue service located in the village of Sea Palling in North Norfolk, England. First established by private funds in 1840, it was taken over by the RNLI from 1858 and operated until 1931, closed down in a rationalisation of regional lifeboat stations. Revived by local people through monies raised from private, business and charitable donations in 1974, today the charitable Palling Voluntary Rescue Service, known locally as Sea Palling Independent Lifeboat, runs a single 5.7-metre (19 ft) Ocean Pro RIB, an Arancia ILB and a shoreline rescue quad bike, all covering the area between Eccles-on-Sea and Winterton-on-Sea.
The American Red Cross Volunteer Life Saving Corps (ARCVLSC) is a non-profit organization made up of volunteer lifeguards. It is a division of the American Red Cross, which provides volunteer lifeguards to Jacksonville beaches and internationally through Lifeguards Without Borders.
Lifesaving South Africa (LSA) is a South African organisation that promotes water safety and provides surf rescue services. LSA is a founding member organisation of the International Life Saving Federation, and a member of Royal Life Saving Society. It is recognised by SRSA and SASCOC.
Simon Lewis is a volunteer lifesaver and international humanitarian lifeguard. Once the St Kilda Lifesaving Club captain, he is now the only Australian to have worked both migration routes in Europe. Simon was in a team of six in an intentional team of International Surf Lifesaving Association (ISLA). Since joining missions with the ISLA, Lewis has helped save over 1,400 African and Syrian refugees as they attempted to cross the dangerous waters of the Mediterranean Sea to Greece and Italy. As well as being the first Australian to be the head of mission on the central migration route for the German NGO Mission Lifeline. Lewis participated in the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (ASRC) yearly telethon which raised over $800,000 for the organisation to continue to help those in dire need.