A group of hardy life savers continue their role throughout the winter, despite cold weather and freezing seas.
Brighton’s surf life saving club (BSLSC) was first formed in 1955, making it one of the oldest in the UK.
It has 200 members, aged from seven to adults, and they continue to train weekly, even in the very coldest conditions.
“It’s pretty hardcore,” said Liz Forte, head of communications at BSLSC.
The original club from 1955 closed in the late 1970s due to a diminishing younger membership but was reformed 25 years ago in 1997 by university students.
“We didn’t see real growth until 2011 when the nippers and junior sections were introduced,” said David Samuel, chairman of BSLSC.
“Since then the club has grown from strength to strength training children as young as eight to be lifesavers.”
Brighton is one of more than 80 surf life saving clubs in England and Wales and is affiliated to the UK governing body Surf Life Saving GB.
BSLSC has a packed calendar of events each year with its members taking part Surf Life Saving GB’s national championships and Brighton Triathlon, to name just two competitions.
The city council employs about a dozen of BSLSC’s young adult members as professional lifeguards on the beach during the summer.
David said: “Our lifeguards can have great knowledge of the beach having trained with the club from an early age.”
Members as young as eight are tutored to become effective first aiders and, eventually, first responders.
By 16 years old, they become surf lifeguards with a qualification that allows them to work on a beach anywhere in the world.
“I have three kids and that is why I am involved,” said Liz. “I want them to grow up with these important life skills.”
Currently, the club operates from Brighton Sailing Club where, for an annual fee, members are allowed full access to the facilities on a Saturday morning for four hours.
David said: “We do our level best to maximise this period and regularly train up to 160 members within this tight time slot.
“Restricted membership numbers are governed by the extremely limited access to the space so there is a very finite number who can access the current facilities.”
The club is popular and is currently oversubscribed, but Liz said the waiting list will be reopening in the new year.
Starting as young as seven means sometimes the club struggles to retain its younger members as they approach their teen years.
David said: “The retention of the 14 to 18 age group is difficult in any sport and surf life saving is no exception.
“However the training available with the correct investment does allow the club to offer enticement and reward to this group in particular.”
If members complete their graduate lifeguard training from age 13 to 16 with the club, then at 16 they automatically attain their surf lifeguard award.
This award means they can go on to get paid employment as a lifeguard.
BSLSC represents Brighton each year at national level competitions in life saving sport.
David said: “Every year, there are fatalities by drowning along our coastline, many of which could have been prevented with a little knowledge and training.”
The club “aspires to help and train” more children and young people in water safety and rescue.
In 2010, after consultation with the RNLI, schools and children in the area, the club began delivering the Schools Surf Life Saving programme in Brighton and Hove.
This is an annual scheme which supports the national drowning prevention strategy, aiming to reduce incidence of drowning by half within a five-year period.
Expansion
As it is oversubscribed, the club has been looking at different venues for along Brighton and Hove’s coastline for the past five years.
It has proved a challenge to find a suitable venue.
David said: “Finding an area large enough to house all the equipment required together with a facility to cater for so many people is undeniably difficult.
“The analogy of trying to fit a square peg into a round hole could be used to describe almost all venues that have been considered to date – the club simply doesn’t fit any existing building.”
Many club members live in flats and small houses, meaning they do not have enough space to store their boards and other kit.
David said: “This is a specific problem to Brighton and Hove residents as other surf life saving clubs around the UK have the advantage of greater space.
“Enabling members to store personal kit to access daily training is a key objective of any future premises.
“Without it, it stigmatises those unable to afford a large house with enough open storage. The club has to be inclusive and providing accessible kit and storage is a key component of that.”
BSLSC is hoping to secure funding and planning permission for a new purpose-built clubhouse to cement the future of the club.
David said: “A new clubhouse would help the club be both sustainable and support the development and nourishment of future members.”
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