Lifesavers News Archive 2025

October 17th

Armthorpe Kingfishers Presentation Night

An evening to celebrate our swimmers! Presentation Night is a special opportunity to come together as a club, recognise our swimmers’ achievements, celebrate their hard work and dedication, and enjoy a fantastic evening together!

Tickets this year:

Adults – £3

Children – £1.50

Ticket prices will help towards the buffet, and asking everyone to purchase tickets in advance will also help us plan catering numbers, making sure we have enough for everyone to enjoy!

Tickets for sale from Wednesday 21 October at all squads and lifesaving.

We want everyone to have a lovely evening, celebrate our swimmers and make it a night to remember!

Friday 20th November

7:30pm

Thank you for your support, and we look forward to celebrating with you all!

Nicola

October 12th

Lane 3/4 Bronze Medallion:

Please revise the answers to the questions for Section 6 “First Aid” for assessment on Friday this week.

Thank you

Mary

October 10th

Good Afternoon, everyone!

An excellent 27 swimmers at last night's session - with everyone working REALLY hard and progressing with their skills! Well done to all swimmers!

A special mention to Lane 2 who managed 100% attendance last night! They also responded extremely well to the Rookie Life Support activities and the water-based activities. We are getting close to further assessments in this tricky award, with just the rope throw rescue, unconscious casualty rescue and Initiative Scenarios to nail. Really good progress with the 400m swim - with many thanks to Lee for all the work he is putting in with this aspect. We will mix the groups on 23rd October, at Lee's request. Lee is away next week. The focus for all Lane 2 will be on Rookie Gold 2 life saving skills and rescues next week, so please wear your life saving clothes.

Lanes 3 and 4 were assessed on the 32 length survival swim activity - in clothes. A huge well done to all those who completed it! This is another tricky skill!

Great response from our Lane 1 swimmers, who are working very hard towards their Rookie Bronze 3 assessments. They almost achieved 100% last night too, having achieved it twice before - which is equal to Lane 3 - the only other lane with two sessions at 100% since we returned from the summer break! Well done, Lane 1!

Finally, advanced notice that Armthorpe Swimming Club has its Schofield's Presentation Evening on Friday 20th November at 7.00pm, at Armthorpe Community Centre. We would love to see you there. More info to follow.

Many thanks, as always to our Young Volunteers and Instructors - your patience, commitment and endeavour are each SO much appreciated.

Have a good week, everyone! We will see you on Friday

Mary

October 6th

Important message for Lanes 3 and 4:

Please remember to bring your long pants for this Friday's session - 9th October 2026.

Thank you

Mary

Raffle Donations

Our annual presentation party night (Friday 20th November) is creeping up on us and I am asking again this year for your generosity. Nikki will be posting details shortly about the night.

In the meantime , we can’t have a raffle WITHOUT YOU, please can you gift your donations to me when you can.

Many thanks

Claire

October 4th

Good morning everyone!

Just posting some useful resources which should support our Life Savers with their preparation for land based assessments. They are particularly useful for Lane 2 in their upcoming Rookie Life Support Assessment 1. Please share these with our swimmers.

Thank you!

Mary

October 3rd

Good morning everyone!

First of all, many apologies for the later timing of our session last night. There had been a problem at the pool earlier in the evening meaning that the C Squad session before us, and our Life Saving session, had to be delayed by around 20 minutes. I hope that this didn't inconvenience you too much.

We still had an excellent 27/32 Life Savers at our session, five Instructors and four Young Volunteers. We are particularly pleased with the improved attendance of our Lanes 3 and 4 swimmers, who tend to be older and who have more demands on their time. Their response in recent weeks, to the challenges of NLA Bronze Medallion, has been excellent.

Our youngest (Lane 1) life savers, as always, brought their enthusiasm, endeavour and sense of fun to our session! They are making very good progress toward the tricky Rookie Bronze 3.

We were delighted to welcome to our session, our Swimming Club's Assistant Head Coach, Lee, who will be working mainly with Lane 2 to support them in developing their stroke technique and stamina. As we progress through the final two Rookie Gold Awards, and progress on to the NLA Awards, timed swims, initially over 400m, play an important part in assessments. So... the earlier we can get our swimmers "up to speed" the better. The response from our Lane 2 boys last night, was first class, and gained a very positive response from Lee. Next week, it will be the turn of Lane 2 girls. Please note, there is no requirement for swimmers to be clothed for the 400m swim, so Lane 2 girls can bring their pool clothes with them at the start of the session next week, and put them on after they complete Lee's activity ready for the life saving tasks.

Last night, our Lane 2 girls had their first experience of the Rookie Life Support Assessment 1. This is the final element of the Rookie Lifeguard Scheme and comes at the end of Gold 3. We are trying to "get ahead of the game" rather than leaving this element until the end of Gold 3. I will post, on this page, the full Rookie Life Support assessment tasks, along with the "answers", so the children can familiarise themselves with them. They will also be posted on our website.

Finally, we will be opening up two new lanes in January 2027, when most of our Lanes 3 and 4 will finish their NLA Bronze Medallion. This will create 16 new places at our club. So, if any of you have family or friends who may be interested in a place for their child, please let me know.

Have a good week, and we will look forward to seeing you on Friday at the usual time!

Mary

October 2nd

Hello everyone! Just a quick update to say WELL DONE on achieving 31/32 attendance last Friday! An AMAZING performance... as was Man in the Mirror at the Cast Theatre - which I thoroughly enjoyed, but I did really miss our session!!

Lane 2 will be working on their stamina and strength over the coming weeks, to build up their 400m swims which become ever more important as we finish the Rookie scheme and progress onto the NLA Awards. We are VERY fortunate that Lee, the Assistant Head Coach of our Swimming Club , will be joining us to work with all our Lane 2 swimmers - starting today, with the boys, led by William, who swims with C Squad. We are really looking forward to this opportunity and know that our young swimmers will vastly benefit from Lee's input.

For everyone else - it is business as usual - and we will look forward to seeing you all!

Mary

September 19th

Good morning, everyone!

We had 28 swimmers at our session last night - continuing a trend of improved attendance, despite the very busy lives our swimmers (and parents) lead! It has to be remembered that our swimmers come to us at the end of a school week, late on a Friday evening, tired and ready for the weekend , but still manage to work their socks off. Amazing! They are true warriors!

We said a fond farewell to Georgia, one of our Instructors, who popped in before leaving for University in Leeds. Zeke (Lane 3) gave her a card communicating the best wishes from all of us at Life Saving, and thanking her for her time with us. We will miss her, but are excited for her new adventure.

Progress with rescue skills, speed and stamina is excellent across all the lanes, along with steadily improving Life Support knowledge and understanding. The latter is a very important aspect of the RLSS Awards schemes, particularly at Bronze Medallion level, which our Lanes 3 and 4 are working towards. We know that our swimmers love to be in the water, but developing CPR and First Aid skills are essential if they are to leave us well equipped to save themselves and others in the years ahead.

Well done to Alice (Lane 2) who received her Superstar Award last night... and there are at least two more awards in the pipeline for our Lane 2 swimmers, who are grappling heroically with the increasing demands of Rookie Gold 2! We have been impressed with their willingness to learn land based techniques such as turning a casualty from their front to their back, the recovery position, and how to deal with a vomiting casualty (sorry... too early?)!

Finally, I don't ever remember a Lane 1 cohort able to generate the volume of noise achieved by our current swimmers! Communication skills will definitely be one of their strengths.

A big thank you, as always to our Young Volunteers, instructors and parents/carers who support our swimmers in being the very best they can be! A special mention to our Centre staff, particularly the Lifeguards - the club could not operate without you.

Have a good week, everyone!

Mary

September 5th

Good Morning everyone,

It was lovely to see 25 of our 33 Life Savers at last night's session. The summer holidays impacted on our attendance (16 and 21 over the two weeks after the summer break), but... we're back!

Once again I am reminded of what an amazing group of young people we have at our Club. Our swimmers' ages range from 8-16, and all, without exception, give their very best week in, week out.

A special well done and welcome back to Mollie, Lane 3 who will receive her RLSS NLA Bronze Star next week after returning from a long absence through injury and subsequent operation. Well done, also, to those swimmers who overcome difficulties and insecurities to demonstrate real courage in learning new skills... you know who you are.

I have to mention, again, our wonderful Young Volunteers - Lucy, Esme, Rodger, Emily, Dan and Liza - they are great role models for our younger swimmers and we appreciate them SO much. The same goes for our Instructors - having lost Ian through retirement and Georgia - who leaves shortly for University in Leeds to train as a Primary School Teacher, we are down to six Instructors - but their commitment and endeavour continue to impress. Thank you!

We wish Rowan and Emily (Lanes 3 and 4) all the best as they move on to new adventures. Well done on your RLSS NLA Bronze Star achievement! Remember to share your knowledge and expertise with your friends - it could save a life!

I will post, separately, two posters which will support swimmers particularly in Lanes 2, 3 and 4, with some of the CPR / First Aid elements of the awards for which they are preparing.

Thank you, again, for your support. See you next week!

Mary

September 19th

Good morning, everyone!

Finally, I don't ever remember a Lane 1 cohort able to generate the volume of noise achieved by our current swimmers! Communication skills will definitely be one of their strengths.

Have a good week, everyone!

Mary

September 12th

Good morning, everyone!

A HUGE well done to all 30 life savers who attended last night's session! As I said to them at the start of the session - we are very proud of their choice to do life saving as an activity, of their commitment and hard work and, most of all, of them as young people.

They have moved to new year groups, new classes and, in some cases new schools. Most children are very tired on a Friday night; most chose to sit at home in front of the TV or on their phones... but not our life savers! They arrive, ready for the challenges we give them, dragging themselves up and down lengths, dragging others up and down lengths, and, most importantly, never, ever giving up! Give your children a big hug, because what they are doing is amazing.

Special mentions go to:

Mollie - Lane 3 who is leaving us for new adventures. Well done on achieving your Bronze Star Award.

Millie, Amelia and Alice - Lane 2, who received Superstar Certificates last night.

Thank you to our Instructors and Young Volunteers - for everything you do in supporting our young people. Your efforts and commitment are ALWAYS appreciated and never forgotten.

Wishing everyone a lovely week and we will see you all next Friday.

Mary

September 5th

Important First Aid information for Lanes 2, 3 and 4 Life Savers. Please share:

Mary

August 22nd

Super effort from the 16 life savers who attended Friday's session - it is harder work for them when there are fewer swimmers in the lane - so... a big well done to everyone for showing up and grafting!

Grateful thanks must, as always, go to the five Instructors and four Young Volunteers who also supported our swimmers on the night. During holiday season, especially, we count on our volunteers to give up time with their families to make sure our sessions go ahead - and they always do.

With one more full week of the summer holidays remaining, our eyes are on the weeks ahead, which will see our Lane 1 swimmers focusing on their Rookie Bronze 3 Award, our Lane 2 swimmers on their Rookie Gold 2 Award, and, in the case of our Lanes 3/4 swimmers, the NLA Bronze Medallion - this is the final of the three NLA Awards we deliver.

So... it is going to be a busy, but productive term in the run up to Christmas. Our swimmers will, again, be looking for you as parents to bring them to the sessions and encourage them to be the best they can be. We know that you will, as always, "step up" to support them, and us... and we are very, very grateful.

Please stay safe around water - your swimmers know the rules. We will look forward to seeing everyone next week!

Mary

August 14th

Welcome Back!

Lovely to see 23 of our Life Savers back at the club last night - and they have certainly returned ready for the challenges!

Well done to our Lane 1 swimmers who have achieved their Rookie Bronze 2 Awards:

Aween

Jacob

Atlas

Sophie

Nikola

Royem

Mia

Lucy

Well done, also, to the following swimmers who received certificates:

Lane 1: Sophie - Septathlon Lane Challenge

Lane 2: Millie - Septathlon Lane Challenge

Lane 3/4: Daisy - NLA Bronze Star Award

Nadia - Septathlon Lane Challenge

Ethan - Septathlon Lane Challenge

Young Volunteers:

Rodger - End of Term Lucky Draw Winner - "Stay Calm - I'm a Life Saving Volunteer" Mug

Liza and Dan - Swim England Foundation Safeguarding U18 Certificate

Liza, Emily and Dan are making excellent progress towards their RLSS Distinction Awards - half way there!

Our swimmers "step up" in a multitude of other, less obvious ways, week after week - and we are very, very proud of them.

There have been some changes to the swimmers and instructors who make up Lanes 3 and 4 - we are trying out these changes in order to provide the best experience possible as we begin NLA Bronze Medallion - the final, challenging, part of their life saving journey.

See you next Friday - please remember your drinks, swim clothes and locker coin

Mary

July 25th

End of Term Update!

A HUGE well done to the 19 swimmers who attended last night's Life Saving Challenge Event! It was a busy night, with swimmers completing rescue challenges and speed challenges - it's not easy removing clothing, at speed, in deep water... but all those whose lane did that challenge, managed it!!

What I loved to see most was the competitiveness of our swimmers - Life Saving generally does not require swimmers to compete with each other - but when the opportunity arose - the swimmers rose to the challenge superbly. Completing tasks at speed certainly reveals swimmers' technique!

The Lane Challenge Medal Winners last night were as follows:

Lane 1: Sophie

Lane 2: Millie

Lane 3/4 girls: Nadia

Lane 3/4 boys: Ethan

Certificates will be available for collection on or after our return from the summer break on Friday 14th August.

There were several stand out moments last night, across all lanes, and all swimmers can be very proud of their efforts!

A special well done to our two newest Young Volunteers, Rachel and Daniel, who, having completed the Swim England Foundation Safeguarding Training for U18s, join the four other Life Saving Young Volunteers, and five Squad Young Volunteers across the club who have completed this important training.

We also had an another special presentation to Ian, one of our long serving volunteers and founder of our Life Saving section. Ian leaves us in order to take on new adventures, and we will miss him! He was presented with a card signed by the Committee and most life savers, instructors and Young Volunteers at the club, a special mug, and a (posh!) restaurant voucher, which we hope he will enjoy. Ian has said that he will not be able to resist popping in from time to time... so we definitely have not seen the last of him! On a positive note, despite earlier worries that we would lose her as well, Ian's daughter, Esme, will be continuing in her Young Volunteer role.

As always - HUGE thanks to Thomas, Sandra, Ella, Andrew and Steve, Rodger, Esme, Lucy, Emily, Dan and Rachel - our great volunteer team - for all that you do for our club - it will never go unnoticed or be forgotten.

See you all Friday 14th August - have the BEST summer break, and, most importantly - stay safe, especially around water.

Mary

July 17th

Good morning, everyone!

An amazing 28 swimmers attended our penultimate Life Saving session last night, and, as always "worked their socks off"!

A special Well Done to our Lane 1 swimmers who are almost over the line with Rookie Bronze 2 - those awards will be presented after Friday's session on 24th July - the last before our summer break. Any swimmers absent will receive theirs on their return.

The session on Friday 24th July will involve all swimmers present in a "Septathlon" - a series of seven life saving challenges, where swimmers will compete against others in their lane. The winner from each lane will receive a special "Life Saving Challenge 2026" Medal. This will, hopefully, be a fitting finale to what has been a great year for our swimmers. We hope as many of our swimmers as possible will come and join in - although we understand that some will be on holidays.

Sadly, we will also say a fond farewell to two of our volunteers, who, due to time constraints, will "retire" after Friday's session. Many, many thanks to Ian and Esme who have supported the club for several years and are going to be greatly missed. The Club exists through Ian's efforts for over a decade, along with his trusty band of volunteers and he will leave a hole that will be very difficult to fill. Esme completed the Rookie Lifeguard qualification and all the NLA awards with us before achieving her RLSS Distinction Award as a Young Volunteer earlier this month.

We are so grateful for everything Ian and Esme have done for us. On a positive note...I don't think we will have seen the last of them... both have said that they will pop in from time to time!

A huge thank you to our Instructors and Young Volunteers who support the club week in week out - you are the backbone of our Club and your contribution is MUCH valued and appreciated.

To those of you who will miss Friday's session - we wish you the loveliest of summer holidays and will look forward to seeing you back in the water on Friday 14th August, or whenever you are able... same time, same place!

To everyone else... see you Friday!

Mary

July 9th

This post is aimed at our older swimmers… definitely worth a look!

Mary

Speak up. Be a mate.Before a mate jumps in or does something risky… speak up.

July 4th

Speechless!

Very well done to all 27 life savers who attended last night's session! You were thoroughly outstanding in every way - especially how you tackle everything that is thrown your way!

A very special well done must go to Lane 2 this week - 100% attendance, effort, commitment and self-belief, along with 100% pass at Rookie Gold 1. This award was always going to be a challenge for some - with a 400m continuous swim as part of the assessment - but, did this bother Lane 2?... it did NOT! Congratulations to:

Nancy, Emily, Alice, William, John, Kaleb, Mollie, Molly, Millie, Miles, Amelia and John! Certificates, Badges and Stickers will be presented in reception after the session, along with end of term reports - so all parents/carers are warmly invited to share in your child's success. On to Gold 2 next week! A special well done to William - who has 100% attendance since we moved into Lane 2 on 37/3/26.

Well done, also to 11 swimmers from Lanes 3/4 who attended the First Aid, asthma, choking and fractures session in the Studio last night. Pending one or two catch-up assessments, you should achieve your NLA Bronze Star Awards on Friday 10th or 17th July, and they will be very well deserved. Catch-up activities will be arranged for 10th July for the five swimmers who missed last night's Studio First Aid session, but everyone will be back in the water. The final Studio session on Friday August 14th has been cancelled in light of the progress made in the two sessions which have already taken place.

It was Girls' Night in Lane 1 last night - with the three boys away on weekend Family Scout Camps. It is safe to say that the girls more than made up for the lack of boys - they are best described as pocket rockets... small but mighty! They certainly kept Steve, Andrew, Rachel and Dan busy and are making solid progress towards Rookie Bronze 2. Their enthusiasm is infectious!

Thank you, as always, to our Instructors and Young Volunteers - this club would not happen without your commitment, loyalty and endeavour.

So... just three sessions left before the summer break, with our last session on Friday 24th July. We will see you on Friday! Please remember to book places on the Hatfield Water Park trip if you wish your swimmers to attend.

Mary

July 4th

Exciting Progress Behind the Scenes

Hello everyone! It’s Kingsley, sorry I haven't been poolside lately but I’m excited to share some of the fantastic work taking place behind the scenes to help our club grow and thrive. Over recent weeks, I have been busy working alongside Keith Old, our club website designer and video producer, and Mary Firth on several exciting projects.

Keith has been leading the development of our latest video productions, showcasing the achievements, training sessions, and success stories of our swimmers and volunteers. One of our key goals has been to support fundraising efforts through a variety of money-raising bids and funding applications.

The new video content is helping us demonstrate the positive impact our club has on young people and the wider community. By presenting strong evidence of our achievements and ambitions, we hope to secure additional funding that will benefit swimmers of all ages and abilities.

Mary Firth has ensured that the welfare and safeguarding of our members remain at the heart of the process. Her guidance has helped us make sure that all content reflects the club’s values of safety, inclusion, respect, and enjoyment.

Alongside our latest video project, I have been researching with Keith new website providers in order to meet SwimEngland policy guidelines on imagery and child protection. There's still alot of work to do but teh journey begins with small steps.

As Club mascot, I am incredibly proud of the teamwork being shown by everyone involved. The combined efforts of Keith, Mary, our coaches, volunteers, swimmers, and families are helping to build a brighter future for the club. I look forward to sharing more updates soon as our fundraising bids progress, our videos reach wider audiences, and our social media presence continues to grow.

Thank you to everyone who supports Armthorpe Kingfishers Swimming Club – together, we are making a real difference

Kingsley

July 2nd

Reminder to Lanes 3 and 4:

Tomorrow evening's session - Friday 3rd July - is in the Studio for the full hour. The session will focus on the First Aid aspects of the NLA Bronze Star Award and is the final element of this assessment. For most swimmers - this will enable you to complete this award, with presentations after the session next Friday 10th July. Please arrive for 7.40pm for a prompt start. Please wear PE Kit and bring a drink. Thank you!

Mary

Hatfield Water Park

June 28th

A huge well done to all 31 life savers (and families) who braved blisteringly hot weather to attend Life Saving on Friday - you were all amazing! The same has to be said for our Instructors and Young Volunteers - we owe them a huge debt of gratitude for their commitment to our swimmers, our club and our families.

Lane 1 had their first introduction to CPR.. it is never too early!

Lane 2 are a week away from achieving Rookie Gold 1... it has been quite a thirteen weeks!

Lanes 3 and 4 have completed initiative scenarios and are a week away from NLA Bronze Star which they embarked upon in January

So... next Friday - 3rd July:

Lanes 3 and 4 will be in the Studio for the full hour completing the First Aid aspects of NLA Bronze Star - please arrive promptly for a 7.45pm start, wear PE kit and bring a drink.

Lane 2 will be completing the 400m survival swim, initiative scenarios, wading rescues and some catch up activities.

Lane 1 will be continuing learning the skills included in Rookie Bronze 2.

It's going to be busy!! There are just FOUR sessions left until the summer break. The last session will be Friday 24th July. We return, raring to go, on Friday 14th August.

Please remember to bring a drink to each session - it is essential that our swimmers keep hydrated especially in this very warm weather.

We have a Kingfishers social event at Hatfield Water Park on Sunday 9th August - places are on a "first come first served" basis - so please see the poster and complete the googleform if your child/ren want to attend. The link to the googleform is in the comments.

See you on Friday!!

Mary

June 19th

RLSS Distinction Award Award

Many Congratulations to Lucy Rodger and Esme on achieving the RLSS Distinction Award, the highest level of achievement within the programme. This outstanding accomplishment recognises not only your exceptional lifesaving knowledge and practical skills but also your unwavering dedication and commitment to personal development.

Reaching this prestigious standard is a significant achievement and reflects the hard work and determination you have shown throughout your training.

As part of earning the award, 30 hours of volunteering was completed, demonstrating commitment to supporting others and giving back to the lifesaving community.

Your willingness to contribute time, alongside achieving the programme’s highest standard, is a real testament to your character, professionalism, and passion for water safety.

Everyone at Kingfishers is incredibly proud of your success and extends heartfelt congratulations on your remarkable achievement.

Mary

June 18th

Drowning Prevention Week

Allows follow the Water Safety Code

Please take care over the weekend! These posters will remind you about staying safe in and around water.

Mary

June 17th

Important message for all Life Savers across all lanes - please make sure that you wear tops and bottoms over your swimwear for all pool-based sessions - we are underway with NLA and Rookie assessments, and clothing is required for some tasks. Thank you!!

Mary

June 13th

Good morning everyone,

An amazing 31/35 swimmers attended last night's Life Saving session... and all, as always, worked with great enthusiasm and endeavour.

Our eight Lane 1 swimmers received their Bronze 1 Award Certificates, badges and stickers and are now underway with Bronze 2.

Lane 2 revisited "Float to Live" as a survival technique and engaged very knowledgeably with the Q/A which starts most of our sessions. All swimmers successfully completed one of the two Gold 1 timed assessments - with a swap round next week to complete the other.

Lanes 3/4, fresh from their Studio session last week, were involved in a range of rescues and land-based activities as they continue their preparation for the NLA Bronze Star assessment - which we are hoping to complete by September.

We are pleased to welcome back Millie, into Lane 2, after a year out - it was lovely to see that she has remembered a lot of what she was taught first time around and is now busy catching up with Gold 1 assessments. I have to say that having a Mollie, a Molly, a Miles and now a Millie in one Lane... is proving a challenge for Thomas, Lucy and me - but we are up to it!

A special mention to Lucy, our Lane 2 Young Volunteer who has continued to attend despite having been completing GCSEs over the last month - THANK YOU! One more to go now! You've got this! Similarly, Thomas is almost at the end of his three year Uni course at Sheffield Hallam, and is preparing for his PGCE course starting in September. We wish him luck with his final results!

Wishing everyone a lovely and safe week - see you in the water next Friday!

Mary

June 10th

RLSS UK is partnering with The Mirror on the powerful new water safety campaign ‘Save Lives for Sam’.

Working in collaboration with The Mirror and MP Lee Pitcher, MP for Doncaster East and the Isle of Axholme, the campaign aims to prevent water-related tragedies across the UK. The new campaign will lobby the government to create REAL change, and will run through to the start of the summer holidays.

This campaign urgently calls for:

• A national Public Health & Safety Awareness Campaign on TikTok and social media to raise awareness among parents and children of water-related risks

• Increased accountability for water companies, landowners, and those in control of large bodies of open water to take ownership and implement proper safety measures and install appropriate rescue equipment.

• The introduction of compulsory pre-holiday school lessons covering water safety, including the Water Safety Code, Float to Live, and Phone-Float-Throw advice.

• Progression of ‘Sam’s Law’ into legislation to require safety equipment at high-risk large bodies of water and make its damage or theft an aggravated criminal offence.

As communities prepare for summer, this is a crucial moment to make water safety a national priority.

Together, we can help more people stay safe and save lives.

Read the full campaign announcement: https://www.mirror.co.uk/.../save-lives-sam-campaign-stop...

The Mirror

Lee Pitcher

Mary

June 6th

Good morning, everyone!

Amazing attendance at Life Saving last night! 15 from Lanes 3/4 in the Studio and 18 from Lanes 1/2 in the pool! So 33/34 - an attendance record!

A special well done to Lanes 3/4 who did an hour of quite intense preparation for the CPR / First Aid elements of the NLA Bronze Star Award. The next Studio based session is arranged for Friday July 3rd. Back in the water on Friday to tackle the water-based elements!

Well done to our Lane 1 swimmers - all of whom have achieved their Rookie Gold 1 Award since starting Life Saving in March this year: Aween, Jacob, Nikola, Lucy, Mia, Royem, Atlas and Sophie! Rookie Bronze 2 here we come!

Super effort from our Lane 2 swimmers who are working very hard on Gold 1 Assessments. This is a very tricky award with some demanding tows and a 400m swim - but our swimmers are up to the challenge! A special well done to Amelia, who has achieved the Rookie Silver 2 and 3 Awards since starting in April - a superb achievement.

Superstar Awards were presented to Alice, John, Miles, William, Mollie and Emily for their excellent response on 29/5/26!

Many thanks, as always, to our Young Volunteers Emily, Lucy, Daniel, Esme, Rodger, Lisa and Maisy. Along with our instructors and swimmers' parents, you make the Club possible for our swimmers!

See you all on Friday!

Pink drinks bottle left poolside - I will bring it to next week's session.

Mary

Float to Live

May 30th

PLEASE READ .

Sadly, every year families are affected by incidents in open water during warm weather.

As warmer weather arrives, many young swimmers will be tempted by the cooler rivers, lakes, canals, reservoirs and the sea.

And while competitive swimmers are very often confident in the water...natural environments are very different from the pool.

Cold water, currents, changing weather, fatigue, poor visibility and unfamiliar conditions can affect even strong swimmers far more quickly than people expect.

This is a good time for parents and swimmers to have open conversations about water awareness, personal limits and safe decision making.

Because confidence in the pool does not automatically mean safety in unpredictable water.

Many incidents happen on warm days, in places that feel calm and familiar at first.

It is also important for young swimmers to understand that trying to help others in difficulty can place them in danger too.

Especially without the right knowledge, support or training.

Learning water safety, survival and lifesaving awareness from properly qualified instructors is one of the most important things any parent can do for their child.

Not to create fear.

But to build respect, judgement and understanding around water environments outside the pool.

Swimming is a wonderful skill.

But nature does not recognise race times, training volumes or confidence.

Awareness matters too .

Lee

30th May

Advanced Notice - Summer Break Closure

The last session will be Friday 24 July 2026

First session back will be Friday 14 August 2026

Nicola

May 29th

One for the Girls

I get asked frequently about periods so here’s a little bit of info to help you and your swimmers.

Nicola

May 25th

Stay safe in and around water!

Mary

May 23rd

Good morning, everyone!

Well done to all 25 swimmers who attended last night's session. Special Well Done to John and Miles (Lane 2) who received certificates for their hard work on stroke technique - but also to ALL our Lane 2 swimmers who have now started Gold 1 Assessments. This Award is a real "step up" from the earlier Rookie awards, with some very challenging rescues and tows, requiring speed, stamina and technique - but we have made an excellent start!

Important update for Lanes 3 and 4 - our NLA Bronze Star candidates:

On the first Friday of every month, for the next three months, starting Friday 5th June, we will be focusing on important, newly updated CPR / First Aid and Theory sections of this qualification. These sessions will take place in the Studio at Armthorpe Leisure Centre and will take up the full hour, so swimmers will not be in the water during those sessions. The dates are as follows:

Friday 5th June 7.45pm - 8.45pm

Friday 3rd July 7.45pm - 8.45pm

*Friday 14th August 7.45pm - 8.45pm

All other sessions will be water-based as usual.

Our summer break means that there will be no life saving sessions on Friday 31st July and *Friday 7th August.

Our Lane 1 "newbies" are settling down really well and beginning to develop solid rescue and personal survival skills. I have ordered some Rookie Lifeguard Progress Booklets for our swimmers. These booklets illustrate the requirements for all nine Rookie Awards and are a very useful resource and create a record of achievement. The last page is where swimmers can put their Award Stickers. The booklets are available to all Lane 1 swimmers, from this Friday, for an optional payment of £2.50.

Wishing everyone a very good half term - and we will look forward to seeing you this coming Friday 29th May.

Mary

CONGRATULATIONS ESME!

April 19th

Well done to Esme - one of our six Young Volunteers - on completing the Swim England Foundation Safeguarding Training for Young People!

April 19th

Good afternoon, everyone,

Just an update on last Friday's session - we had 26 swimmers, six Young Volunteers and six Instructors in attendance, with plenty of excellent work in evidence from all concerned. Every swimmer brings something very special to our sessions - some are great at distance swimming, others at rescues, others at leadership, others at friendship - the list goes on... but all just bring such enthusiasm and positivity. We can't ask any more of them.

Our three new Young Volunteers, Emily, Daniel and Lisa, are now half way through their probationary period and doing exceptionally well. After three more sessions, they will be awarded their Club T Shirt and Certificate. The young people who have been Young Volunteers for almost 15 months now - Lucy, Esme and Rodger - are fabulous role models for our younger swimmers and we appreciate their efforts and commitment SO much!

Hopefully, this Friday, we will have the full complement of Lane 1 swimmers so that we can make further progress with the Rookie Bronze 1 Award. Lane 2 will continue their progress through the tricky Gold 1 programme - their stamina is steadily improving, along with their towing skills. Lanes 3 and 4 will further hone their initiative skills - one of the hardest aspects of life saving, given that it involves decision making at a serious level - and rope work, which is much harder than it looks!

Thank you, again, to all our parents / carers who bring their swimmers every week. If your child is a new member of Life Saving, please remember to bring their completed Membership forms and pass them to me poolside. Lane 2 swimmers are reminded to bring their completed Silver Worksheets, if they have not already done so. Well done to the four who have handed in theirs.

Thank you!

Mary

April 14th

Good morning, everyone,

Thank you to everyone who attended Friday's Life Saving session - we had 24 swimmers, 6 Young Volunteers and 6 Instructors - an excellent response considering that this was still in the Easter holiday period.

Special "shout outs" this week, have to go to: our Lane 2 swimmers for showing excellent focus throughout quite an intense session on unconscious casualty rescues - especially given that most of our swimmers are still at primary school! Lanes 3 and 4 clearly had some fun working with the "Ice Mat", and also developing their towing skills. Well done to our "newbies" in Lanes 1 and 3 - it is lovely to see them settling in and developing new skills...and new friends.

Superstar Certificates were presented to Jakub Garbacik (Lane 3) and Nancy Roberts (Lane 2). Ada Nadolska has also been awarded one of these certificates; it will be presented at this Friday's session.

Just a reminder to bring an old T Shirt and bottoms to swim in and a drinks bottle. Please remove any earrings before the session - just to be on the safe side

See you Friday!

Mary

April 9th

March 28th

Good afternoon, everyone!

Fantastic attendance at Life Saving last night - 29/35 swimmers! This includes 8 of our 10 "newbies" - who, it has to be said, were an absolute credit to themselves, their families and their Club, along with 21 "regulars", whose commitment never wavers! WELL DONE! And, again - a big thank you to all parents / carers who bring the swimmers!

And... on Volunteer Appreciation Day, a special shout out has to go, firstly, to our superb instructors - Thomas, Steve, Andrew, Ian, Sandra, Ella and Georgia - your contribution to our club NEVER fails to amaze me, and NEVER goes unnoticed. THANK YOU! And secondly, to our Young Volunteers - Lucy, Esme and Rodger, now well into your second year of committed volunteering - I know I keep saying this - but we could not manage without you! THANK YOU! Lucy - you disappeared without receiving your Thank You Egg - I will (try to) keep it safe for you!

It was lovely to see Dan, Emily and Liza - three of our new NLA Bronze Medallion Graduates beginning their Young Volunteer training last night. There is a six week probationary period, after which you will get your Young Volunteer Certificate - and a Club T Shirt if you don't already have one! Thank you for wanting to do this!

Apologies for the senior moment which led me to forget to do the Easter Lane Draw on poolside - but, we got there in the end, thanks to families in reception at the end of the session!

The lucky winners were:

Lane 1: Amelia

Lane 2: Ruby (keeping this safe for you, Ruby!)

Lane 3 Rowan

Lane 4: Maddison

A Superstar certificate was presented to Miles (Lane 1) and another will be presented on 10/4/26 to Jakub Lane 3.

A final thank you to our Lifeguards and staff at Armthorpe Leisure Centre - we really appreciate you!

Wishing everyone the happiest of Easters - and we will look forward to seeing you all on Friday 10th April. Please remember that there is no session on Good Friday.

Mary

March 25th

Training cancelled Easter Weekend

There will be no training on Friday 3rd April (C squad and lifesaving) and Saturday 4th April 2026 (A and B squad), as it is Easter weekend, so we have limited coaches available.

Wishing @everyone a very Happy Easter

Nicola

Hello everyone - please note that the message below from our Club Chair, also relates to our Life Saving session on Good Friday 3rd April. We will reinforce this message when we see our Life Savers at this Friday’s session 27/3/26

Mary

March 19th

Following on from Kinglsey's video on this topic area aimed at our young Kingfisher swimmers, the latest production highlights the key concepts of 'Diversity and Inclusion' for all involved in the club.

This issue is a key component of the Swim England accreditation process which enables the club to operate.

Keith

March 20th

Good evening everyone!

Well... what a LOVELY session tonight with lots of work, lots of productive noise, lots of awards and 28 swimmers!

Congratulations to our fantastic Lane 4 swimmers who received their NLA Bronze Medallion Awards tonight, from Steve and Andrew! What a journey they have been on since starting as Rookies about three years ago! We are very sorry to see them go... but wish every one of them all the very best as they go onto their new adventures!

Well done to:

Matthew W

James W

Daniel N

Kaitlyn R

Liza A

Laura G

Emily D

Please send us any photos of your children with their awards so that they can go on our Life Saving Wall of Fame on the website.

Well done, also to our Lane 1 swimmers! They have achieved their Rookie Silver 3 Awards tonight - having negotiated the tricky "initiative" scenarios.

Well done to:

Alice B

Emily P

Molly B

Mollie CY

William D

Ruby P

Miles P

John P

Kaleb R

Next week we will complete the assessments for any swimmers absent tonight, and also begin our journey through Rookie Gold! Please remember to complete your Silver Worksheets, and bring them to the first session after Easter (Friday 10th April)

It has to be said that the volume generated by our Lanes 2 and 3 swimmers was amazing tonight - their level of communication is improving all the time - and their enthusiasm is endless! Well done!

Superstar Awards were presented to: Emily, Alice and Molly (Lane 1) and Maddison (Lane 2). Well done!

Next week, we will have a new group of Rookies starting with us on Rookie Bronze 1 in Lane 1 with Steve and Andrew. This means that all other groups will move on a lane as follows:

Mary's and Thomas's group - Lane 2: Rookie Gold 1

Sandra's and Ian's group - Lane 3 - NLA Bronze Star, along with three new members who will follow the NLA Bronze Certificate programme

Ella's and Georgia's group will move into Lane 4 - NLA Bronze Star.

Our brilliant Young Volunteers (Lucy, Esme and Rodger) will stay with their current groups.

Our weekly numbers will increase to 35 swimmers - so it is going to be busy! Thank you in advance to all parents and carers for bringing your children week after week - it is much appreciated.

I will update you on the arrangements for Good Friday as soon as they are confirmed.

See you next week!

Mary

March 19th

Good morning!

Just a reminder to our current Lane 4 swimmers. Tomorrow is the final scheduled Bronze Medallion session, and awards will be presented at the close of that session. Parents are, of course, warmly invited to come into reception at around 8.50pm to see the swimmers receive their awards from Steve and Andrew.

If your child / children are unable to attend, do please let us know so that we can make arrangements for them to complete the award.

Thank you!

Mary

March 4th

Message for Lane 4 Life Savers:

You will be in the Studio from 7.45pm - 8.15pm this Friday 6th March - to do some First Aid and CPR - before going in the pool for the last half hou

Mary

March 13th

Hello everyone!

An amazing night at Life Saving! 22 swimmers who all worked really well. A special mention to Lane 1 who were REALLY on it, tonight - with some excellent 200m swimming and Wading Rescues. Next week should see most of the swimmers achieve their Silver 3 Awards - and they will be well deserved! Just the important "Initiative" scenarios, and another wading rescue to navigate and then on 27th March it will be time to start the last series of Rookie awards - Rookie Gold Many thanks to Thomas and Lucy for everything you do to support our Lane 1 - I could not manage without you! A new set of newbies will start on 27th March, so ours won't be newbies any more!!

Lane 4 are very nearly there with their NLA Bronze Medallions - next week should enable us to see them achieve their awards. If any of these swimmers would like to train as Young Volunteers - like Lucy, Rodger and Esme - just speak to me at the end of next week, and we'll get you started. Thank you to Steve, Andrew and Ian for all your support with these swimmers - most of whom started out as Rookies! What a journey they have had!

Lanes 2 and 3 will become the senior groups after next week (moving into Lanes 3 and 4). They will continue working towards their NLA Bronze Star Awards, which we are hoping they will achieve by June/July this year. Well done to Maddison (Lane 2), who, despite an injured shoulder, still attended tonight and was able to support poolside with her Lane. Thank you to Sandra, Ella, Rodger and Esme for all the time, patience and effort you show, week after week!

Thank you to all our parents who bring our swimmers to the sessions - there would be no club without them, or you!

Finally, it would be lovely if all the parents/carers of Lanes 1 and 4, could come in to reception at the end of next week's session to see your swimmers receive their awards!

Have a good week! — feeling proud.

Mary

March 7th

Hello everyone,

Well... another excellent night at Life Saving. A fantastic 26 swimmers in attendance, along with our three excellent Young Ambassadors, Lucy, Rodger and Esme. These young people are absolutely vital to the smooth running of our sessions and we are endlessly grateful to them. Well done to Esme and Maisy, who have now completed their Swim England Foundation Safeguarding Qualification. All our Young Volunteers now have this qualification.

100% attendance again from Lane 4 who, following a successful CPR / First Aid session in the Studio last night, have made really good progress with their preparation for the NLA Bronze Medallion Award. The final assessments for their award will be completed by the end of Friday 20th March. We hope, very much, that some of our Lane 4 swimmers will want to continue and train as Young Volunteers with us when they have achieved their NLA Bronze Medallions - they should let us know if this is something they would like to do.

Lanes 2/3 are settling into the NLA Bronze Star programme and are making sound progress with the development of water based and land based rescues, along with stamina and speed activities.

Lane 1 should complete their Rookie Silver 3 Awards by the end of Friday 20th March. Any swimmers who still need to complete catch up assessments because of absence, will be accommodated. The primary focus over the coming two weeks will be both of the wading rescues and Initiative Tests. Then... it's onto Rookie Gold!!

We look forward to welcoming a new batch of "Newbies" mainly for our Rookie Life Guard Bronze programme, on March 27th. Steve and Andrew will be the instructors for this group, with the other instructors moving up a lane with their current groups.

Finally - a HUGE thank you to all our Instructors - without them, and their wonderful commitment, there would be no club!

Mary

March 7th

There will be limited capacity, starting 27/3/26, for children aged 8-11 years, at our Life Saving Club. If you are interested - please send me a message. The club runs after C Squad from 7.45pm - 8.45pm every Friday and delivers Rookie Lifeguard and National Life Saving Academy awards.

Mary

March 2nd

Swim England

February 23rd

KINGSLEY'S KORNER

Latest club video highlighting Diversity and Inclusion.

February 27th

Hello everyone!

Wow! 27 swimmers at tonight’s session - and a brilliant response from every single one!

Special mentions to:

Lane 4 with 100% attendance. They have worked really hard and with excellent focus towards their NLA Bronze Medallion assessments.

Lane 1 - with a real team effort towards catch up assessments - the way the swimmers support each other is so lovely to see. Well done John and Miles who earned their 200m badges. Two more weeks should see us in a position to be able to award all our swimmers their Rookie Silver 3 Certificates and badges.

The attendance of Lanes 2 and 3 was 12/14 - which is an excellent response - they are working towards their Bronze Star Award, and, considering that they are only 13/14 years old, this will be quite an achievement. Next Friday, these swimmers will be in the Studio from 7.45pm - 8.15pm, working on CPR and First Aid, and then in the pool for the rest of the session. I will send out a reminder next week.

Thank you, again, for all your support - children may forget to thank you for bringing them and making sure they are kitted out with everything they need, but we know and remember and are grateful!

Have a good weekend! See you next Friday!

Mary

February 20th

Good evening everyone!

I just wanted to send a BIG thank you out to all the 15 swimmers who attended tonight’s life saving session, and those who brought them. It is very much appreciated, especially on a cold and dark February night!

Another BIG thank you to the four instructors who were able to volunteer tonight, along with Rodger and Lucy, two of our Young Volunteers. Once again, your commitment is so impressive and appreciated!

We will be back at full strength next Friday and we will look forward to seeing you! Have a good weekend, and an even better week!

Mary

February 12th

Message to Lanes 2 and 3

Please remember to bring a top and bottoms to wear over your swimwear on Friday! Thank you!

Mary

January 29th

Hello everyone,

Looking forward to seeing everyone back tomorrow after last week’s Presentation Evening .

Please bring your completed updated Membership form if you have not yet done so. Most of you have - thank you! Please remember to wear tops and bottoms over your swimwear

For those swimmers from Lane 1 who bought one of the booklets shown below… I have finally managed to obtain replacement stickers to make up for those lost. Please bring your booklet to tomorrow’s session, and we’ll get your missing stickers sorted. I still have a small number of booklets if any one wants one

Mary

Armthorpe Kingfishers Life Saving Club:

Annual Presentation Ceremony: Armthorpe Community Centre 7.30pm 23rd January 2026

Sharing Success Poster for Life Saving

19th January

Hello everyone,

Another busy night at Life Saving with 26 swimmers working hard towards the development of their skills, with positivity and focus. Just a quick shout out to Lane 1 swimmers for a superb response throughout the session culminating in a very exciting team bodyboard race!

Thank you to our Instructors and Young Volunteers for all the hard work they put in to the sessions - they are an amazing group of people and I am endlessly grateful for their support and commitment on top of jobs, university commitments, examinations and school studies.

Please remember… there is NO LIFE SAVING SESSION this Friday 23rd January because it is our Annual Kingfishers Presentation Evening at Armthorpe Community Centre at 7.30pm - to which everyone is welcome - it will be lovely to see you. Life Saving Certificates will be presented during the evening to all those swimmers who did not collect them on Friday.

The next Life Saving session will be Friday 30/1/26.

I have attached to this post, an updated “Sharing Success” poster.

Thank you!

Mary

Celebrating Success Poster 2025.pdf

13th January

Good morning, everyone

We had an excellent attendance of 26 swimmers on the first session of Life Saving on Friday. Well done to all the swimmers who attended and thank you to all families who brought them!

This term, we continue to work through the knowledge, techniques, rescue skills and first aid required by the Rookie and NLA Awards Schemes as follows:

Lane 1: Rookie Silver 3

Lanes 2 and 3: NLA Bronze Star

Lane 4: NLA Bronze Medallion

Six “Well Done” Awards for various “over and above” contributions, including top attendance, willingness to demonstrate and general all round sustained positivity, were presented last Friday and hopefully there will be more to come in the weeks ahead. Well done to Friday’s recipients

We have benefited from Armthorpe Ward Councillor funding which has enabled us to purchase a throw ring, two body boards, two float tubes and spare goggles. Photos were taken on Friday so that we could provide evidence of the resources in use, for the Ward Council. These resources will certainly enhance our delivery and we are grateful to the Ward Council for their generosity.

Could I ask that all swimmers remember to bring a drinks bottle (and use it) and clothing to wear over their swimwear, please? Swimmers need to complete various water-based tasks clothed, and also need to demonstrate that they can remove clothing in water. Swimming in clothing also aids the improvement of stamina and strength.

Finally, a reminder that our full Swimming Club Awards Presentation Evening is on Friday 23rd January, at 7.30pm at Armthorpe Community Centre - so there will be no Life Saving session that evening. Our Lane 2 and 3 swimmers with Bronze Certificate and Bronze Star Awards will be presented with them on that evening if they are able to attend - otherwise we will present them at the end of the Friday session either this week or on 30th January. Obviously, our Lane 1 swimmers are also invited to attend.

Thank you! See you on Friday

Mary

Last nights session: Throw Ring, Torpedo Buoys and Bodyboards all in action

January 10

Well done to all our lifesavers on another great turnout - braving the elements to get here and then giving their all in the session.

We're very proud of you

Mary

January 8th

Hello everyone,

Maisy achieved her RLSS Bronze Medallion with our Life Saving Club almost exactly a year ago today. She is one of us!

If you are able to sponsor her, that would be lovely! Just click the link below!

Thank you!

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1MWEZqG69E/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Mary

For the 3rd year running, Maisy is taking on the Swim 22 Challenge – and this year she’s pushing herself even further!

Maisy has set herself the huge challenge of swimming 44 miles over 12 weeks, starting on 22nd March

The equivalent of swimming from Dover to Calais AND BACK!!

Diabetes is very close to our hearts, with my dad being diabetic for as long as I can remember, so this cause means a great deal to our family.

If you have a few spare £’s, Maisy would be incredibly grateful for your support, and every donation really does make a difference

Welcome to 2026

What a great way to start of 2026 with the news that Lucas is now a qualified lifeguard. Hearty congratulations from all at Kingfishers.

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