The National Pool Lifeguard Championships final, being held in Birmingham on Saturday (November 28), will see Team Sixmile, who train at Sixmile Leisure Centre in Ballyclare, battle it out against teams from across the UK.

Team Sixmile members Karen Nelson, James Burns, Alison Cardwell, Phillip Rankin and reserves Marty Wilgaus and Valerie Wilson will be competing against 16 other teams from across the UK to win the much coveted trophy. Managed by Janice Warren, they hope to take the title from Birmingham, who put in an outstanding performance last year.

The event, now in its fifth year, is credited with raising pool safety standards across the industry. The Championships, managed by the Institute of Sport and Recreation Management (ISRM) and Institute of Qualified Lifeguards (IQL), are used as a training tool by many operators and act as a motivator to lifeguards.

This year’s event will begin with a rowing challenge, followed by modules testing lifeguard skills, first aid and responses to emergency situations. The competition will finish with the Torpedo Buoy Relay which tests the lifeguards’ response speeds.

Ian Wakefield, Business Development Manager at the ISRM, commented: “Each year this event increases in size, which demonstrates that a growing number of pools recognise the Championships as a fantastic way to revisit their lifeguards’ training. This event provides operators with a benchmark in pool safety to aspire to and is a great motivational tool too.”

Team Sixmile have expressed their thanks to Douglas Stoddard from NI First Aid Services for helping with their first aid training ahead of the competition.