Thursday 30th April saw RLSS Poole proudly host its Annual Awards Evening, celebrating our wonderful members and associates throughout 2025, and recognising the fantastic achievements, dedication, and community spirit that bind the club together and make us truly stand out.
The evening was well attended by Executive and Trust members, Trainers, hardworking rookies, and their families — all coming together to acknowledge the incredible commitment shown across the club. It was a brilliant opportunity to celebrate success, share memories, and reflect on the achievements of our members over the past year.
A huge congratulations to everyone who received an award on the night. Your hard work and dedication genuinely deserve recognition. Thank you also to everyone who attended, purchased tickets, and supported the raffle. Thanks to your generosity, we raised £148, which will be reinvested directly back into the club to support future activities and development.
Details of some of the awards presented can be found below. For those who were unable to attend but received an award, these will be presented over the coming weeks during our regular Thursday meetings.
Thank you once again to everyone who helped make the evening such a success
ASSISTANT LIFEGUARD OF THE YEAR!
Sophie Turner
Sophie not only achieved her Powerboat level 2, and RYA first aid in 2025, but
she is always prepared to get involved and assist at Safety Covers and is happy
to step up when asked to help others like looking after new members at Twilight competitions.
Sophie truly is a lovely young lady and a terrific lifeguard in the making.
BOAT PERSON OF THE YEAR!
David Perch &
Tom McMahon
A JOINT AWARD FOR 2025
Early in 2025, bith David and Tom dedicated a lot of their own time to train and qualify as a RYA Powerboat Instructor and subsequently ran two RYA L2 courses for club members. Their commitment to developing the power boating skills within the club, and the way they have actively promoted safe and confident boat handling, are second to none.
As a club, we are unquestionably stronger, safer, and better equipped because of thier efforts.
ASSOCIATE MEMBER OF THE YEAR
Clare Southam
Clare has thrown herself into the Club and taken on many tasks since she joined.
Her enthusiasm is infectious and a ray of light. She has assisted with helping at many events as well as organising the 50th anniversary celebration.
Clare has also increased her own development by gaining her RYA PB L2 and RYA First Aid Certificates.
SERVICES TO LIFESAVING
Brian Pemberton
Brian continues to throw himself into supporting many club events.
He also takes on much behind the scenes to ensure the smooth running of the club, and always the first to arrive with a smile and a chat.
The club would not be the same without Brian’s continued service.
PRESIDENT’S AWARD
Amanda Wise-Hall
This prestigious award was presented to Amanda in recognition of her exceptional commitment to the club. Amanda consistently exceeds expectations, playing a vital role in the Club’s success and culture, always willing to support members and the wider lifesaving community, and often stepping in to help where needed with a positive attitude. Her reliability and passion for lifesaving is an inspiration to both junior and senior members, creating an inclusive environment.
CERTIFICATE OF HONORARY LIFE MEMBERSHIP
David Cooper and Mike Darkin
For extraordinary dedication and commitment to the aims and objectives of RLSS Poole Lifeguard Club for many years.
CERTIFICATE OF APPRECIATION
Awarded for dedication to the club with involvement in Safety Cover throughout 2025
As well as the above recipients who were present to recieve their certificates – the following members all . recieved a certificte of appreciation as well, Felix Morton, Lara Moore, and Tom Nally
CERTIFICATE OF THANKS
Brodie Wyatt
Brodie has been a dedicated member for over 11 years. She has completed her Rookie Instructor and is always
willing to continue to help the club with training as well as continuing to train herself as and when her health allows. She is an extremely valued member of the club.
CERTIFICATE OF THANKS
Mike Darkin
Mike has played a pivotal role in guiding and developing our coxswain group and
heading up our club RYA Centre as Principal. His commitment to keeping policies up to date, ensuring safety measures are in place, and organising regular refresher training, has strengthened the professionalism and confidence of everyone involved.We offer Mike our heartfelt thanks and deep gratitude for everything he has done.
Other Recipients of Awards who were unable to attend the Award Evening, are shown below.
Celebrating Our Incredible Trainers!
A few fun awards were given out to our amazing team of trainers to recognise the huge commitment they continually give to the club and to every one of our members. Without these dedicated volunteers, the club simply wouldn’t exist. Their passion, patience, and professionalism are the backbone of everything we do.
Our trainers don’t just teach Life Saving, First Aid, and Resuscitation Skills — they pass on invaluable life skills that stay with our younger members for the rest of their lives. Confidence, teamwork, resilience, leadership, responsibility… these are the qualities they nurture every single week.
The wealth of knowledge they share, the hours they give, and the care they show to every member is immense. Today’s awards were a small but heartfelt way to say thank you for everything they do to keep our club thriving, safe, and full of opportunity.
| David Cooper | The “Calm in the Storm” Award |
| Tim Harris | The “Trainer You Want On Shift With You” Award |
| Tom McMahon | The “CPR Jedi Master” Award |
| Lara Moore | The “Most Likely to Be Roped into Helping Forever” Award |
| Simon Moore | The “Just one more length” Award |
| Brian Pemberton | The “First Aid Kits Favourite Child” Award |
| Dave Perch | The “Poolside Therapist” Award – |
| Ethan Pilley | The “Does Everyone Understand? …No?” Award |
| Ellen Shakles | The “Wise Beyond Her Whistle” Award |
| Mark Shakles | The “Toughest Critic Award ‘You call that a Rescue!’ ” Award |
| Andy Smart | The “Stopwatch Assassin” Award |
| Chloe Tribouilloy | The “Training Wheels” Award |
| Brodie Wyatt | The “Yes, It’s Meant to Be Cold” Award |