News

Royal Life Saving Society awards volunteer for 35 years of service

26 Oct 2026 3 minute read

Sheila Mott with colleague and fellow RLSS UK member Dave Tonge.

Nation Cymru staff

A former nurse has been honoured by the Royal Life Saving Society for 35 years of volunteer service to lifesaving and water safety education.

On Saturday, at the Royal Life Saving Society UK (RLSS UK) National Presentation of Honours, Sheila Mott was awarded an Honorary UK Life Membership for her decades of volunteering service.

Sheila started swimming at about five years old with the City of Cardiff Swimming Club. After a career in nursing and raising a family, Sheila first earned water safety and lifesaving qualifications as a Girlguiding leader when Brownies were planning activities near water. This led to further qualifications and awards, including the Bronze Medallion, Award of Merit, Award of Distinction, First Aid, and Life Support, among others.

Sheila went on to share her lifesaving and lifeguarding knowledge as a Trainer Assessor.

Working with leisure centres, schools, community groups, and organisations including Girlguiding, Sheila regularly teaches and trains in water safety and resuscitation. She also organises and teaches at open water events, has tirelessly served on the Branch Committee for 25 years, and is chair of the RLSS UK Awards Committee.

She recalls one instance where her first aid training and skills were put to the test when a person collapsed on the football pitch at the leisure centre where she was teaching swimming lessons.

Sheila was just leaving the pool when the alert was raised, and she was able to help give CPR and deliver the AED. The person survived, and Shelia “sees him every now and again on TV.”

Despite officially retiring in 2021, Sheila continues to teach lifesaving skills to educators and community leaders so local students, Scouts, and Guides can continue to benefit from being in, around and on water.

This year, the RLSS UK National Presentation of Honours recognised and celebrated 280 volunteers from across the UK and Ireland for their years of continuous service, for their meritorious contributions, and for carrying out exceptional work in helping others enjoy water safely, free from drowning.

RLSS UK 

For 135 years, the Royal Life Saving Society UK (RLSS UK) has been sharing its expertise in water safety, lifesaving, and lifeguarding to help everyone enjoy water safely.

Over the last five years, 3,615 people have fatally drowned in the UK and Ireland. RLSS UK is a charity that aims to prevent these tragedies by engaging with communities and sharing expertise as the leading provider of lifesaving and lifeguarding training and water safety education in the UK and Ireland.

In 2026, an estimated 2.8 million children received RLSS UK water safety education materials during Drowning Prevention Week. This year, more than 4,700 schools, leisure operators, clubs, branches and water safety partners across the UK and Ireland took part in the campaign.

RLSS UK uses its extensive, world-leading knowledge of water safety and training to develop a comprehensive range of vocational qualifications, awards, and education programmes. Currently, approximately 80,000 RLSS UK qualified lifeguards are operating across the UK. On average, RLSS UK lifeguards prevent one likely in-water accident every six minutes.

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