The Royal Life Saving Society UK’s (RLSS UK) Rookie Lifeguard programme teaches children aged eight and over basic water rescue and lifesaving skills, build confidence, develop teamwork skills, and foster leadership skills. 

In addition to our guide on How to Add Rookie Lifeguard to your Pool Programme, we wanted to create a helpful list of ways to recruit new Rookie Lifeguards and fill your sessions. 

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Make it Easy for New Rookie Lifeguards to Join: 

The first step in recruiting new Rookie Lifeguards is to ensure the sign-up process is as easy as possible for parents. Double check that you are doing the following: 

• Ensure your Rookie Lifeguard programme is easily found on your club/leisure centre website and that the call-to-action button/link for signing up is also easily found on the webpage. 
• Keep your sign-up form as simple as possible. Only ask for the information required, and ideally, use an online form to collect data with clear instructions and fillable boxes. (Make sure your form is GDPR compliant). 
• Ensure your pricing is clear and easily visible on your webpage before people sign up. 
• Consider providing translated materials if you are in a multilingual area. 

 

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Marketing Ideas to Promote Your Rookie Lifeguard Programme: 

There are lots of ways to recruit new Rookie Lifeguards. Here are a few marketing and promotional ideas to get you started: 

1) Advertise on RLSS UK Course Finder 

RLSS UK Course Finder is a free platform to advertise your Rookie Lifeguard programme, and parents visiting the RLSS UK Rookie Lifeguard information webpages can easily and quickly find your club/sessions. [Instructions on how to add an RLSS UK Rookie Lifeguard course to RLSS UK Course Finder.]  

2) Tap into your Current Rookie Lifeguard Network 

The parents and carers of your current Rookie Lifeguards are your best advocates! Ask them to tell their friends and family about the RLSS UK Rookie Lifeguard programme or share it on social media. You could even offer a small reward (e.g. free badge/drink or swim cap etc) for every new Rookie Lifeguard they help recruit – don’t forget to add a ‘How did you hear about us?’ on your sign-up form to help collect this referral information.  

3) Create Social Media Accounts and Post Content Regularly 

Parents often search for activities for their children to do or stumble upon local activities on social media. Try to post at least once a week on your social media accounts so that people can stay updated with what you’re doing and when important dates are happening. 

Here are some social media post prompts to get you started: 

• The new programme starts soon. Sign up now. 
• Another group of Rookie Lifeguards completed their… Sign up now to join our next group. 
• Another great session. This week, our Rookie Lifeguards learnt… 
• Looking for a new club/hobby for your child? Have you heard of/tried the RLSS UK Rookie Lifeguard programme? Here’s what your child will learn… 

Remember to get written consent from anyone in your photos/videos, add local hashtags, and tag local parent groups for more reach. 

4) Run a Special Promotion During Drowning Prevention Week 

Drowning Prevention Week is a perfect time to promote your RLSS UK Rookie Lifeguard programme, as schools, local communities, and the news all highlight the importance of water safety in their schedules. Why not host a themed week or special event with games, quizzes, and activities with prizes available? Invite the local press and community radio to cover the event. 

Or you could offer reduced-cost trial session(s) during the week to promote water safety and provide a taster of what the full RLSS UK Rookie Lifeguard programme offers. 

5) Involve Swimming Teachers 

The RLSS UK Rookie Lifeguard Pool programme can run parallel to a child’s current swimming lessons and enhance the skills they learn in the pool. Once a child meets the relevant swimming level, swimming teachers could provide a leaflet for the programme and an incentive towards their first session or for signing up for the programme (e.g. a discount or free product/session). 

6) Promote the Success of your Current Rookie Lifeguards 

Shout about what current RLSS UK Rookie Lifeguards are doing or achieving via social media posts with photos or quotes (don’t forget to get written consent). There are editable posters within the Resource Folder of your RLSS UK Account (within the Rookie/Marketing folder). These can be displayed on your club board, around the leisure centre or asked to put up around your local schools, community centres, cafes, libraries, supermarkets, post offices, shops, church halls, GP surgeries, pharmacies, and other local community areas/platforms. If the posters aren’t on display in your RLSS UK Account, contact the Customer Services team for support.  

 

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Outreach Activities to Attract New Rookie Lifeguards: 

Further to the above marketing and promotional ideas, the following outreach activities are great at reaching new audiences and attracting new parents and children to consider joining your Rookie Lifeguard programme: 

1) Taster Sessions to Local Schools  

A 30-minute water safety session during a PE lesson, PSHE programme or school fete can provide children with a sample of the programme and spark their interest in joining the programme at their local club or leisure centre. Depending on the facilities available, the taster could be given in a pool environment or tailored to offer a land-based skills taster session instead of using rescue tubes, basic signals, etc. It’s a great idea to leave leaflets for the children to take home to their parents, including a QR code that links to your programme’s sign-up form so they can easily join your programme and sessions. 

2) Run a “Bring a Friend” Week 

Your Rookie Lifeguards are hopefully already telling their friends how amazing the programme is, so what about letting them invite a friend to join one free session during special ‘Bring a Friend’ weeks? A perfect time to do this is just before you start a new stage in the programme. Why not create a printable invite that they can print out and give their friend or let them send a message through your club’s app or dedicated club WhatsApp group?  

3) Offer Sessions to Local Youth Groups 

Scouts, Brownies, and similar groups often need help with badge-based or skills-based sessions, e.g., for lifesaving or water safety badges. Depending on your facilities and availability, you could offer to run a joint or individual session at your pool. Or you could provide land-based skills taster session at their facilities. Don’t forget to leave leaflets for the children to take home to their parents if they want to learn more and join your programme. 

4) Collaborate with your Local Lifesaving Services 

If your area has a fire and rescue service, ambulance service, lifeboat station or mountain rescue service, why not collaborate to develop a joint demo day or participate in their fundraising or event days? These events draw families and highlight shared safety values. Don’t forget to hand out lots of leaflets about your Rookie Lifeguard programme, and you could even offer an event-day sign-up discount or special offer. 

 

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Thank you to the RLSS UK Lifesaving Clubs and RLSS UK Approved Training Centres (ATCs) who provided insights into how they recruit RLSS UK Rookie Lifeguards for their sessions for this blog. If you have further suggestions for adding to this blog, please email [email protected]. 

More about Rookie Lifeguard

How to Add Rookie Lifeguard to your Pool Programme