Gwilym's Adventure Blog

This week I have been at Quantock Lodge running a National Pool Lifeguard Qualification for Wet and High Adventures Ltd. A busy week with pool based and classroom based sessions covering everything from First Aid, Water Rescue, Legal Knowledge and Observation skills All 6 candidates (plus myself) who took the exam passed. Tomorrow morning I will assessing another group of candidates and then time for a day off on Sunday. Can't wait!

It has been a busy 7 days for me in my role as a Royal Lifesaving Society National Trainer Assessor and all things Lifeguard. Saturday and Sunday were spent in Porthcawl running the first 2 days of a split Beach Lifeguard Trainer Assessor course for 7 candidates from Newton Lifesaving Club. Monday to Friday was spent at Quantock Lodge running a full Pool Lifeguard Trainer Assessor course with a Level 3 Award in Education and Training for 3 candidates with 2 Beach Lifeguard Trainer Assessor Candidates joining us at the start of the week. They will finish there course in the New Year when we get in the sea. Training, Assessing, First Aid, Pool, Beaches and Presentation skills all covered and even though it has all been enjoyable, after 7 days I am looking forward to a well earned day off tomorrow. In case you are wondering, they did teach each other to make paper hats and tie shoe laces through either the "4 stage approach" or "whole-part-whole"

This week I have mainly been running a RLSS Pool Lifeguard Trainer Assessor course with Crys at Quantock Lodge . With 6 candidates keen to improve their training and assessing skills we have happily sent them off this afternoon into the real world to prepare to run their first Pool Lifeguard Course. I say mainly, as on Thursday I had to go to Bristol and complete an induction so I can run the new Indoor Climbing Assistant Award coming in January 2019.

After a week of meetings and other various indoor things, it was good to be outside again today. The morning was at Cannington Outdoor Education Centre conducting some more High Ropes training and assessments and the afternoon was at Pyramids Leisure Centre conducting a Pool Lifeguard assessment.

This weekend I have been on the Isle of Wight sussing out a few venues for future courses as well as conducting an IV on a NPLQ course assessment run by Crys for Wet and High Adventures Ltd . Thanks to assessors Bryan, Tim and Nick for their professionalism. In a nutshell I rode round the island on my motorbike looking at beaches and drinking coffee.

Today I was in Aberdare updating my National Trainer Assessor status for the Royal Lifesaving Society so that I can continue to run Trainer/Assessor courses for: Pool Lifeguard, Beach Lifeguard, Open Water Lifeguard, First Aid, Defib and more I got to play with the Laerdal Bluetooth resuscitation Apps which were much better than expected but still need a little bit of work in my opinion. I will getting some once the Android Trainer App is sorted. I will get some courses set up so watch here for details

(Photo from RLSS website) Today I was training to deliver the new RLSS Pool Extraction Board (PXB) to Pool Lifeguard Trainers and Assessors. Looks and feels like a good bit of kit that should be useful for a large variety of pools. Get in touch if you want to be trained to use it (courses available from Feb 2016)

Yesterday's rain put paid to my plans to climb and today it was back inside at Plymouth College training students for their Pool Lifeguard Qualification. This afternoon they were assessed and I am pleased to report they both passed.

Inside today (which was shame given the weather) running some Pool Lifeguard training for students at Plymouth College.

This week I have been running a Pool Lifeguard Course for my students at Plymouth College. Well done to the 4 who passed today. I am now on my way to North Wales for some fun in the mountains.

All of this week I have been running a National Pool Lifeguard Course for my students in Plymouth. Although only a small group, it still took the whole week and left me no time to get out climbing or walking on the moor. Well done to the sucessful candidates I don't know if it is because of my week away but it seems to be very cold here and I even found the swimming pool cold compared with the sea last week.