The Rotary Club of Retford was delighted to present a cheque for £1000 to the Retford & District Lifesaving Club at the Retford Leisure Centre on Saturday 21st January.  Retford Rotary President Mary Danby and Percy Laws Management Committee Chairperson Viv Montgomery made the presentation.  The money was donated to support the Lifesaving Club Members
who have qualified to compete in the World Lifesaving Interclub Youth Open Championships, (fifteen, 14-18 years) and three in The World Lifesaving Masters Championships, in August 2024.  The Championships take place in Australia. 

Those competing are fundraising in a variety of ways with a sponsored ‘Triathlon to Oz’ – a real challenge which has training benefits too.  They will cover the equivalent distance from Retford to the Gold Coast in Australia by swimming, cycling and running – 10,250 miles in total.  Other fundraising activities are a Spring Ball with an Australia theme, foreign currency collection, raffles etc. Once at the competition venue, life will be intense with early morning pool, beach and land training between competition days alongside briefing and overall preparation sessions. Frugal hostel accommodation is booked where they will eat and support each other. 

Based at Retford Leisure Centre, the Lifesaving Club, a friendly group of adults and young people, is dedicated to delivering essential lifesaving, first aid, rescue and personal survival skills. They compete at a local, national and international level in various lifesaving competitions and are a recognised club member of the Royal Life Saving Society UK.   Retford Lifesaving Club offers an extensive range of awards and qualifications for
people of all ages and abilities. The awards cover fitness, technical knowledge, skill and judgement when dealing with simulated incidents – each of which requires varying levels of proficiency.

Retford, a small market town, is rightly proud of this thriving, well supported Club and Retford Rotary are very happy to support them just as they support us in our annual Swimathon which takes place this year on Saturday 9th March at the Leisure Centre.