Donate now

RNLI lifeguards in Newquay to mark 200th Anniversary with swimming challenge

Lifeguards News Release

RNLI lifeguards in Newquay are gearing up for a swimming challenge this week (Friday 2 August) to celebrate 200 years of the RNLI and raise vital funds to continue the charity’s lifesaving work.

RNLI/Archie Connolly

RNLI lifeguards in Newquay are gearing up for a swimming challenge this week (Friday 2 August) to celebrate 200 years of the RNLI and raise vital funds to continue the charity’s lifesaving work.

To qualify to become an RNLI lifeguard, people must pass several fitness tests - one of which involves swimming 25 metres underwater, followed by an immediate return length freestyle stroke, all of which must be completed in under 50 seconds.

The Newquay RNLI lifeguard team challenge will see the lifeguards aim to complete 200 of these lengths in under an hour. The challenge takes place at Waterworld swimming pool on Friday 2 August from 7-8pm.

Four lifeguards will go off every minute in order to complete the challenge, and a total of up to 40 lifeguards will take part.

Lewis Timson Lead Lifeguard Supervisor for Newquay said:

“I’m delighted that as a lifeguard team we have decided to take on this challenge to mark 200 years of the RNLI. The challenge incorporates some of the skills needed to be an RNLI lifeguard and I’m really looking forward to seeing how our lifeguards get on.

“We hope this challenge can raise money to support our goal of saving every one and also provide essential funds for us to continue the lifesaving service we provide.”

Founded in a London tavern on 4 March 1824 following an appeal from Sir William Hillary, who lived on the Isle of Man and witnessed many shipwrecks, the RNLI has continued saving lives at sea throughout the tests of its history, including tragic disasters, funding challenges and two World Wars.   

Since the charity was founded in 1824, its volunteer crews in Cornwall, Devon, Somerset West Dorset and the Channel Islands have launched the lifeboats 55,912 times, saving 14,967 lives. RNLI lifeguards across the region – who became part of the charity’s lifesaving service in 2001 – have responded to 176,585 incidents, saving 1,061 lives.

In Cornwall alone, RNLI lifeguards have responded to 128,344 incidents, aided 150,672 people and saved 793 lives.

In total, across the UK and Ireland, 146,452 lives have been saved by the RNLI – this equates to an average of two lives saved every day for 200 years**.  

**Figures accurate as of December 2023.

Notes to editors

  • Lewis Timson- Lead Lifeguard Supervisor for Newquay is available for interview about the challenge

  • The RNLI Newquay lifeguards cover eight beaches in the town and surrounding area during summer

  • They have daily patrols from 10am to 6pm at Mawgan Porth, Porth, Watergate Bay, Tolcarne, Great Western, Fistral, Crantock and Towan

  • Photo is taken at Newquay Lifeguard Visitor Centre at Fistral Beach

RNLI media contacts

For more information please contact Archie Connolly, Media Engagement – Placement-South West on 07977 468283 or [email protected],uk or Emma Haines, Regional Communications Manager, on 07786 668847 or [email protected] or contact the RNLI Press Office on 01202 336789.

RNLI online

For more information, please visit the RNLI website or Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. News releases, videos and photos are available on the RNLI News Centre.

Key facts about the RNLI

The RNLI charity saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates over 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and, in a normal year, more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service.

RNLI at 200

On 4 March 2024, the RNLI celebrates 200 years of saving lives at sea – thanks to volunteers giving their time to save others, all funded by voluntary public donations. Throughout its 200th anniversary year, the charity is running events and activities to commemorate its history, celebrate the lifesaving service it provides today, and inspire generations of future lifesavers and supporters. For more information visit RNLI.org/200.

Key facts about the RNLI

The RNLI charity saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 146,000 lives.

Learn more about the RNLI

For more information please visit the RNLI website or Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. News releases, videos and photos are available on the News Centre.

Contacting the RNLI - public enquiries

Members of the public may contact the RNLI on 0300 300 9990 (UK) or 1800 991802 (Ireland) or by email.