About Yorkshire Lifeguards | Lifesaving, Lifeguard Training & First Aid on the Yorkshire Coast

Our mission

A clear route into lifesaving

Yorkshire Lifeguards exists to create a clear, credible route from swimming confidence into lifesaving, lifeguarding, water safety, first aid, coastal sport and community service.

We work alongside existing swimming lessons, swim schools, swimming clubs and venue programmes. Our role is to support the next step for confident swimmers who are ready to apply their existing ability in a practical, safety-focused direction.

The journey is simple: take existing swimming ability and apply it to lifesaving skills, water safety awareness, first aid, rescue confidence and routes into pool, open-water, beach, sport and professional lifeguard qualifications.

Footsteps in the sand on the Yorkshire coast at golden hour — a lone figure walking toward Flamborough Head

Our structure

How Yorkshire Lifeguards fits together

Yorkshire Lifeguards brings together three connected areas, each with a distinct role. Together, they create clear routes from swimming confidence into lifesaving, lifeguarding, first aid, surf lifesaving, water safety and coastal safety.

Yorkshire Lifeguards

Umbrella brand and public-facing home for the Yorkshire Lifeguards structure. Building lifesavers. Training lifeguards. Serving the Yorkshire coast.

RLSS Accredited Club

Yorkshire Lifeguard Academy

The RLSS Accredited Club and main youth development and lifesaving pathway — Rookie Lifeguard, National Lifesaving Academy and lifesaving sport.

RLSS Approved Training Provider

Bluewatch Training

RLSS Approved Training Provider for professional first aid courses for workplaces, schools, nurseries, leisure settings, outdoor environments and community organisations — including EFAW, FAW, PFA and more.

SLSGB Affiliated

East Riding Surf Life Saving Club

SLSGB affiliated surf lifesaving club and coastal safety route — Nipper, Youth, Adult and Sport pathways on the East Yorkshire coast.

Working alongside existing provision. Yorkshire Lifeguards is designed to complement existing leisure centres, pools, schools, holiday parks, open-water venues and community organisations — supporting the next step for confident swimmers, young people, staff members and community groups without competing with existing swim schools, clubs or venue programmes.

Built to a standard. Yorkshire Lifeguards is built around recognised training pathways, qualified instruction, appropriate safeguarding, practical risk management and respect for the procedures of the venues and communities we work with.

Affiliations

Recognised. Accredited. Credible.

RLSS UK

Royal Life Saving Society UK. Accredited Club status for the Academy. Approved Training Provider status for Bluewatch Training.

SLSGB

Surf Life Saving Great Britain. East Riding Surf Life Saving Club is SLSGB-affiliated, running the surf lifesaving, coastal safety and lifesaving sport route for East Yorkshire.

Delivery is built around appropriate safeguarding, risk assessment, qualified instruction, insurance, venue procedures and recognised awarding-body requirements.

Delivery structure

Built around qualified delivery roles.

For regulated RLSS UK qualifications, course delivery is supported by suitably qualified Trainers, Assessors and Internal Quality Assurers — the three key roles that RLSS UK requires within an Approved Training Provider structure.

T

Trainer

Qualified to deliver training courses and prepare learners for assessment in line with RLSS UK guidance and qualification requirements.

A

Assessor

Qualified to assess candidates against the required standard — ensuring only those who have demonstrated the necessary knowledge, skills and competence are certificated.

IQA

Internal Quality Assurer

Responsible for checking training and assessment activity meets RLSS UK requirements — maintaining consistency, fairness and confidence in how courses and assessments are run.

This means that for candidates, parents and venue partners, Yorkshire Lifeguards is not simply informal lifesaving activity. It is a properly structured training model with recognised roles, assessment standards, course records and quality assurance oversight.

Small group walking together on the Yorkshire coast at golden hour — cliffs, reflections, rescue board on the sand

Long-term vision

Building something that lasts

The long-term ambition is to build a lasting coastal lifesaving community with a recognised presence on the Yorkshire coast — a place where members can train, learn, compete, volunteer, socialise and grow together.

This will grow over time, but the direction is clear: a trusted Yorkshire coast lifesaving community where young people, adults, volunteers, instructors, lifeguards and partners can train, develop, contribute and belong.

Young people should feel proud to belong. Parents should feel their child is joining something meaningful. Lifeguards and instructors should feel this is a serious coastal brand worth being part of.

That is the standard we are working to.

Founded by

Jake Bennett

Founder, Yorkshire Lifeguards
Volunteer Lifeboat Operations Manager, RNLI Bridlington

Jake Bennett is a qualified swimming teacher, lifeguard trainer, first aid trainer and volunteer Lifeboat Operations Manager with the RNLI at Bridlington Lifeboat Station. His background spans pool and beach lifeguarding, swim teaching, lifesaving instruction, first aid training and operational RNLI leadership.

Through Yorkshire Lifeguards, Jake’s aim is to create a clear local route for confident swimmers who are ready for more — into Rookie Lifeguard, lifesaving skills, lifeguard qualifications, surf lifesaving, sport, volunteering and wider coastal safety.

Yorkshire Lifeguards begins with Jake's experience, but the aim is to build a wider community of qualified instructors, trainers, volunteers and partners across the Yorkshire coast.

Meet Jake →

Who we work with

Yorkshire Lifeguards is for…

Confident swimmers ready for a practical next step. Young people interested in lifesaving, water safety and lifeguarding. Parents looking for a meaningful safety-focused route. Adults who want to learn, volunteer, train or stay active. Employers needing professional first aid training. Venues and partners wanting to strengthen safety, progression and community impact.

Through its three connected areas, Yorkshire Lifeguards supports lifeguard training, lifesaving development, water safety education, surf lifesaving and professional first aid training for communities, venues, schools and employers across the Yorkshire coast.

Find out about venue partnerships →

Building lifesavers.Training lifeguards.Serving the Yorkshire coast.