Diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease at the age of seven, Morgaine’s life has been fraught with health challenges. At 16, she underwent life-saving surgery for a perforated large intestine. The surgery left Morgaine with a colostomy bag, a difficult thing for any teenager to adjust to, especially one already grappling with body image issues. Thanks to her family's love and support and the care she received from health professionals, Morgaine navigated her way through this challenging period. 

Morgaine had missed lots of schooling due to her condition, and this latest six-month hospitalisation meant she left school without completing her GCSEs. But her experiences inspired Morgaine to help others, and she went on to work with youngsters with epilepsy and severe learning difficulties.

A career shift to lifeguarding

 After a few years working in healthcare, Morgaine was considering a change when she came across an advert for lifeguarding.

 “I’d loved swimming as a child, but going to the pool has just felt like a chore since my surgery. I also still had body confidence issues,” she says. 

Despite this, she decided to take the plunge and soon attended an RLSS UK National Pool Lifeguard Qualification (NPLQ) course.

“I hadn’t mentioned my stoma during the initial interview because I didn’t want to be treated differently, but once on the course, I told my trainer, who was really supportive.”

The trainer made Morgaine feel very comfortable.

“I didn’t have to raise my hand and draw attention to myself if I needed to leave sessions to change my bag or deal with any issues. I was also given extra time to change.”

The supportive environment allowed Morgaine to thrive, and on her 24th birthday, she qualified as an NPLQ lifeguard. 

Advancing in the profession

Morgaine’s journey didn’t stop at becoming a lifeguard. Over the next four years, she progressed from lifeguard to senior lifeguard and duty manager, eventually becoming a RLSS UK Trainer Assessor with NPLQ Specialism. Her career has seen her work with four different operators, including Places Leisure and Serco, across 12 leisure centres in East Sussex. During that time, her stoma has never held her back.

“My employers and colleagues have always been understanding and discreet. For example, I can radio the team to ask someone to cover me on poolside for five minutes if I need to deal with something. I can keep extra supplies at work, and if I’m in the water, my teammates will get everything I need afterwards ready for me.”

In fact, becoming a lifeguard has empowered Morgaine and helped her find new confidence.

“Becoming a lifeguard has really helped me. My advice to people with similar conditions who want to be a lifeguard is to go for it. Measures can always be put in place to support you.”

Despite having undergone three major surgeries, including one to remove her entire large intestine during the COVID-19 pandemic, Morgaine is as committed to her profession as ever. She is a strong advocate for inclusivity in lifeguarding, and her personal experience has given her a unique perspective, which she uses to educate and inspire her students.

During her training sessions, Morgaine often incorporates an activity with her candidates, asking them if they think it’s okay for an amputee, someone needing oxygen, or someone with a colostomy bag to swim. This exercise encourages discussions about inclusivity and challenges misconceptions. She even gets into the pool to demonstrate just how easy it is to swim with a colostomy bag.

Morgaine’s journey from a young girl struggling with Crohn’s Disease to a confident and accomplished RLSS UK NPLQ Trainer Assessor and Mentor is a testament to her resilience and determination. It highlights the inclusive nature of the lifeguarding profession. 

Andrea Cox, Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Executive at RLSS UK, added: “RLSS UK is passionate about ensuring its qualifications are inclusive for everyone. It strives to allow everyone to gain a qualification that provides life skills and enhances confidence and mental well-being. 

Around 7% of RLSS UK qualifications awarded in 2023 involved reasonable adjustments to reflect the individual candidate's needs (over 6,300 reasonable adjustments). 

The most common adaptations resulting from a specific disability or educational need included having up to 25% extra time and using a reader. 

95% of candidates who had reasonable adjustments made said the changes completely or mostly met their needs. We regularly review reasonable adjustment requests to help develop the NPLQ and actively remove barriers to make it more inclusive.”

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Guidance

We have created guidance to support people with a stoma who are either training to be lifeguards or currently working as lifeguards.

View Guidance for lifeguarding with a stoma

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Become a lifeguard or RLSS UK Trainer Assessor

Learn more about becoming a lifeguard

Learn more about becoming an RLSS UK Trainer Assessor