Littlehampton life savers win awards from Royal Life Saving Society at 2023 Honours ceremony

The national awards event was held in Coventry on Saturday and lead instructor David Slade attended with the club's IT expert Lee Wright and members Sophia Hendey and Jude Morris.

Awards were made for dedication over many years and in recognition of meritorious contribution to the charity. The Littlehampton club's awards were in recognition of work supporting water safety education and drowning prevention.

Sophia, who attends The Littlehampton Academy, was presented with The Ken White Cup for fundraising, after collecting more than £1,000 in sponsorship for abseiling down the Brighton i360 tower last October. She was also awarded a Certificate of Merit and a further certificate as Sussex Young Life Saver of the Year.

Jude, who attended The Angmering School and is now studying engineering at Chichester, was also awarded a Certificate of Merit, recognising his considerable work with the club outreach programme. He is currently working towards his instructors qualification, having already qualified as a Beach Life Guard.Lee, who is also the RLSS Sussex branch webmaster, chair and an instructor at Horsham LSC, received the Medal of Distinction for outstanding work at club and branch level.

David, who is chair at Littlehampton Wave LSC, was awarded the Stanley Peck Cup for Area Organiser of the Year, reflecting his work in developing the Wave club since its formation in 2019 and in particular, the very successful 2022.

The citation also referred to his unbroken work with and in support of the RLSS since 1957, both here in Sussex and at the various places where he has lived. During that time he has been elected RLSS branch president in Hertfordshire, Norfolk and Sussex branches, the latter twice.

The Littlehampton club meets on Wednesdays from 6.30pm to 8.30pm at the Wave Leisure Centre. An information sheet and application form can be downloaded from www.lwlsc.co.uk or picked up from reception.