RNLI and Girlguiding Ulster launch partnership to empower young girls to stay safe in & around water

(L-R) Bangor RNLI crew member Christine Bell; Bangor RNLI Helm Gareth Whan; Gareth Morrison, RNLI Head of Water Safety: Bangor RNLI crew member Katherine Lindsay; Claire Flowers, Girlguiding Ulster CEO; and Felicity Atwell, Girlguiding Ulster Deputy Chief Commissioner. Front from left, Faye Charington, 1st Comber Guides; Evie Bell, 1st Comber C Brownies; and Charlotte Maidment, 14th Bangor Rainbows.

The RNLI and Girlguiding Ulster have announced a new partnership that aims to teach and empower young girls to stay safe in, on and around the water.

The partnership which was launched on Saturday morning (8 March) coinciding with International Women’s Day, will see the roll out of an engaging water safety education resource.

Aptly titled ‘Mayday’ to reflect the emergency procedure used internationally as a distress signal at sea, the new resource focuses on four key safety messages and has been developed so that all age sections of Girlguiding can use it (Rainbows 4-7, Brownies 7-10, Guides 10-14 and Rangers 14-18).

Pictured on the lifeboat, Bangor RNLI volunteers Gareth Whan, Katherine Lindsay and Christine Beale with Girlguiding Ulster members Faye Charington, Evie Bell and Charlotte Maidment. Standing from left, Killian O’Kelly, RNLI Water Safety Education Manager; Gareth Morrison, RNLI Head of Water Safety; RNLI lifeguard Luke Clements; Debbie McDowell, Girlguiding Ulster Chief Commissioner, Claire Flowers, Girlguiding Ulster CEO; and Felicity Atwell, Girlguiding Ulster Deputy Chief Commissioner.

It is hoped that thousands of girls across Northern Ireland will now take on the challenge in their Girlguiding units and in doing so have fun while learning lifesaving messages. All members who complete the challenge will be awarded a new Mayday badge.

To mark the start of this partnership, a group of Rainbows, Brownies, Guides and Rangers visited Bangor RNLI on Saturday morning where they met volunteers, got a tour of the station and learned more about how the lifeboat crew respond when their pagers go off and there is an emergency at sea.

Killian O’Kelly, RNLI Water Safety Education Manager, said:

“This partnership highlights the shared values between us in the RNLI and Girlguiding Ulster, notably volunteerism and the importance of communities. It is always a privilege to have the opportunity to promote water safety and to deliver key drowning prevention messages especially to new audiences.

“We know that educating young people about water safety is fundamental to saving lives and is a core part of the RNLI’s prevention work. Reaching more young people with our water safety messages means we are collaboratively working to save more lives now and in the future.”

The group representing Girlguiding Ulster pictured at the launch watching Bangor RNLI’s lifeboat Ruby Robinson at sea.

Debbie McDowell, Girlguiding Ulster Chief Commissioner said:

“We are very excited to be launching a new partnership with the RNLI. Whether it is at the coast or inland, our young members regularly take part in activities on or near the water. We are delighted that they will now be able to benefit from taking part in lots of activities to deepen their understanding in the area of water safety and our hope is that they will also share their newly found knowledge with others they know.”