Bramley Baths’ staff are taking part in a 20-mile coastal walk to help train new lifeguards – and are appealing for your support.
The Baths, which opened in 1904, is running as campaign raising awareness of water safety as part of a celebration of becoming an independent community led facility a decade ago.
Jennie Willetts, a duty manager at Bramley Baths, said the idea was to provide a free lifeguard training course for under represented young people in the community – and a dozen staff members are hoping to raise over £3,000 between them.
She said: “Throughout our ten years as a community led, not-for-profit organisation, we have delivered several successful National Pool Lifeguard Qualification (NPLQ) courses enabling us to not only train them, but also leading participants onto employment with ourselves or have gone on to work at other sites across the country.
“We are raising funds to enable up to 12 young people to gain this life-changing qualification. This week-long intense course provides them with all the skills needed to be a lifeguard and equips them with first aid skills which we as an organisation feel are vital.
“These young people, who will be identified through our work with local youth organisations, may not engage with mainstream education or have financial barriers which, through no fault of their own, limits their prospects of further education and ultimately employment.
“We want to inspire these young people to not only work in the leisure industry but also give them a sense of pride as to what they have achieved and in turn act as an example to their peer group and other people within their local communities.”
The cost of the course is £270 per person.
Donations can be made here.
Over the summer, Bramley Baths will also be running two-hour workshops where children can come along and learn basic lifeguard and water safety skills in the pool and an hour learning the basics of first aid and CPR.
The Baths recently released a water safety advice video, which was filmed at the Baths and at Farnley Reservoir: