Members News

CPR Update drop in session

The 2005 Resuscitation Council guidelines are being implemented into all RLSS Programmes from this month, and will be compulsory for all assessments from January 2007.

Trainer Assessors should have received update packs for the various disciplines, but this is a change which affects all members who hold resuscitation awards and qualifications.

NSVL courses and training will be using the new protocols from now on, but for those who want to get up to date as soon as possible, there will be a drop in session from 12 noon on Sunday 1 October down at the beach base.

All interested members are welcome to pop in at any time before 4.30pm to have a go at the new protocols. The update should take little more than half an hour, as all protocols have been simplified.

Assessors will also be on hand should any members wish to sit the new Life Support or Life Support 3 award.

It would be great to see as many members as possible so that everyone involved with the club is working from the most current CPR guidelines.

Pizza night is back!

After a break for other social events over the summer, the pizza night is back!

All members and families are welcome to come along to Cassa Belissimo on Sunday 1 October after the pool session for a happy hour meal.

Last time we had over 70 people in our group, packing out the restaurant. It would be nice to see a similar number this time and hopefully some of the new Rookies as well so that we can get to know parents and Rookies away from the poolside.

Maureen at the stall will be taking numbers on the week preceeding the meal, please see her if you would like more information.

It's that time of year again - oh no it isn't, oh yes it is etc

Summer may be over and winter almost upon us, but don't be depressed! It's time to start thinking about the annual NSVL trip to the panto at the Journal Tyne Theatre.

This year's pantomime will be Dick Whittington, starring Brendan Healy and Maxie and Mitch and it promises to be an afternoon packed with entertainment...12 Days of Christmas anyone?

We will be attending the matinee performance at 1pm on Saturday 16 December. Tickets for the pantomime cost £14 for adults and £10 for children. All members, parents and family are welcome to attend.

We have reserved a number of tickets, but with the greater number of Rookies this year there may be more demand than tickets available, so book early to avoid disappointment.

After the pantomime we will head along to Stowell Street for a Chinese Buffet meal (cost £6 per person). Adult members will then be hitting the town after the meal to continue partying.

If you wish to purchase tickets please see Maureen at the stall or by e-mail to maureen.welsh@blueyonder.co.uk.

New manikins

NSVL has been presented with over £1,500 worth of new resuscitation manikins and equipment through our affiliation with the British Heart Foundation's Heartstart scheme.

The club has been supplied with 10 new adult resuscitation manikns, 1 baby manikin and a TV/DVD player to assist with delivering the Heartstart Emergency First Aid course to groups across North Tyneside.

The manikins are already being put to good use and are being used for the Heartstart session for Rookie parents.

New term at the pool

Formal pool sessions resumed on Sunday 10 September and we'd like to welcome to our new Rookies who have started over the summer and welcome back all our returning Rookies. Pool sessions have been a bit quieter over the summer, but the first session of the new term saw us back to our full complement of over 60 Rookies.

There have been various movements between classes due to both age and ability, and badges have been awarded to returning Rookies who were assessed before the summer.

The Rookies and higher lifesaving programme is arranged mainly into age groups, so in some cases children will have stayed in the same class where many of their classmates have moved up. We want Rookies to be something that your children can attend for as long as they wish, hopefully progressing through the programme right through to adulthood, so we do have to make some difficult decisions on what is best for each child. If your child started Rookies at age 6 then you should expect your child to remain in each of the four 'Star Grade' classes for around 18 months to take them through until they are age 12. If you or your child wish to discuss where they have been placed, please speak to the teacher before or after the session.

Kiss4Life thanks

Just a quick message of thanks from the Royal Life Saving Society to our members, who raised a grand total of £542.72 for this year's RLSS Kiss4Life campaign through various activities such as a quiz night and Valentine's party.

Our donation to the appeal was the largest donation from any club in the country, so thanks go to everyone involved. You can see the letter of thanks on the notice board at the pool.

End of season BBQ

Unfortunately, torrential rain meant the beach games were a complete wash out (not least because the drains on the promenade burst scouring massive gulleys in the beach below), however, it came out fine by the evening and the barbecue went ahead for those who were there...just a shame there weren't more people down!

Heartstart for parents

During the Rookie pool sessions on 10th and 17th September (date corrected from e-mail news bulletin) we will be running Heartstart sessions for all Rookie parents, friends and relatives.

This is the chance for you to learn (or brush up on) essential lifesaving skills, such as CPR and dealing with choking.

These sessions will be provided free of charge to parents and run during the normal 5-6pm Rookie session. The course is 2 hours long, so will run over 2 weeks. 

We would like as many parents as possible to attend these sessions, as it won't only benefit you but also means that you will be able to help your child learn these vital skills.

The sessions are also open to other members, and any family or friends, along with lifeguards who can use it as logged training.

If you are unable to attend these sessions, then it is hoped the sessions will become a regular occurrence.

Lifeguard Convention

If an end of season barbecue isn't enough for you, the annual Lifeguard Convention will be held from Friday 6 October to Monday 9 October at Holbourn Cotswold Caravan Park in Gloucestershire - www.hoburne.com/park_cotswold.cfm

The convention is intended to be an informal get together of lifeguards from across the country during which a not inconsiderable amount of alcohol will be consumed.

The cost for the weekend is £20 for the caravan plus food, drink and travel (car sharing will be arranged when numbers are known). ‘Delegates' to the convention can travel on Friday morning or after work on Friday, and return on Sunday evening or Monday morning as work commitments dictate.

There will be two theme nights, one a lifeguard theme night and one to be confirmed.

Convention is open to all adult members and 16/17 year-old lifeguards who have permission from their parents.

Please contact Joe or Maureen if you are interested.

Beach Lifeguard Competition Results

NSVL beach lifeguards joined teams from across the north-east on Wednesday 9 August at Tynemouth Longsands for the annual North East Regional Beach Lifeguard Competiton.

Although the team of Dave Bedford, Simon Almond, Simon White Johnny Erskine and Samantha Robertson put in a valiant effort, they unfortunately finished last. However, there was some success for NSVL as the winning Hartlepool A Team had one NSVL member, Becki Powell, in their team and were trained by NSVL member Debbie Woods. Congratulations to all involved.

Unfortunately the event was overshadowed by the search and recovery of a missing diver shortly before the start of the competition, in which a number of the North Tyneside lifeguards were directly involved. Due to the circumstances, the hastily rearranged North Tyneside Lifeguard team (including 3 NSVL members Becky Newman, Seamus Brayne and Alex Sargeant) gave an excellent showing in 4th place.

Nippy new Nipper boards

NSVL's Rookies now have access to a range of new equipment for use at the beach and in the pool, thanks to grants from the Willan Trust and RW Mann Trust.

The grants, totalling £4,000, have allowed the club to buy specialist 'Nipper boards' which are junior versions of the lifeguard rescue boards. The Nipper boards are made of a soft material so that they can be used safely by Rookies to practise board rescue techniques.

Additionally, two soft wave skis have also been purchased for use by the Rookies to practise paddling skils, along with eight junior rescue tubes to practise torpedo buoy rescues.