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2021-12-31-accounts

Annual Report and Accounts

2021

Registered Charity (Charity Commission for England and Wales, Charity Number 306094)

Accredited Commonwealth Organisation Incorporated by Royal Charter Registered with the Fundraising Regulator

Drowning

The process of experiencing respiratory impairment from immersion/submersion in liquid

The World Health Organization estimates that there are 235,000 global drowning deaths per year

Which equates to 650 deaths a day Which equates to 26 deaths an hour

Over the last decade 2.5 million people lost their lives through drowning

Contents

Contents
Page
Message from the Deputy Commonwealth President 1
Mr Clive Holland
Trustees' Report
Charity Information an Overview 2
Governance 3-4
Members 5
Our Charitable Purpose, Mission, Vision, Motto, Scope and Values 6-7
Our Strategic Priorities 2020-2023 8
Our Achievements 2021 9-16
Our Plans for 2022 17
Financial Summary 18
Statement of Trustees' Responsibilities 19
Accounts
Independent Examiner's report to the Trustees 21
Accounts to the year ended 21st December 2021 22-23

In preparing this annual report it surprised me how much we, as a Society, were able to achieve given that we were in the middle of global pandemic in 2021. Although there were still delays on delivering face to face training, we adapted several of our activities to ensure they could go ahead, albeit some of it virtually.

Details of the activities we undertook in 2021 are included later in this Annual Report but member engagement has remained one of key priorities for our Headquarters function, ensuring our members are keep up to date and supported on local, regional and international matters.

One of our projects for 2021 was to mark the anniversary of the Mountbatten Medal by producing a commemorative book. This project was a bigger task than any of us envisaged but it is extremely satisfying to know that we now have an excellent reference document for our archive. Although we must always look forward as an organisation, it is also wonderful to unearth pieces of history. Speaking with the five recipients on their recollections of the award was a real bonus and gaining an understanding on how the award impacted on them. We were delighted to be able to share a copy of this book with the Mountbatten family and received their thanks and appreciation that we continue to award this medal.

It makes me immensely proud to see the amount of work we have been able to undertake during the pandemic and this could not have been achieved without the dedication of our volunteers. There are too many to mention personally so I send my sincerely thanks to those of you who have helped the Headquarters function over the last year.

Looking ahead to 2022, there will still be challenges as we emerge from the pandemic but believe we are in a good position to be able to advocate and deliver our drowning prevention activities.

Clive Holland Deputy Commonwealth President

1

Charity Information and Overview

The Royal Life Saving Society RLSS, RLSS Commonwealth, Commonwealth Drowning Prevention, Commonwealth Lifesaving Charity Commission England and Wales, Charity Number 306094

Registered Name: Working Names:

Registered Charity:

Accredited Commonwealth Organisation Registered with the Fundraising Regulator Registered Address:

Red Hill House, 227 London Road, Worcester, WR5 2JG, United Kingdom

Patron: HM Queen Elizabeth II Commonwealth President: HRH Prince Michael of Kent GCVO Deputy Commonwealth President: Clive Holland Treasurer: Clive Patrickson PhD Portfolio Directors: Norman Farmer AM ESM Executive Director Anne-Maree Gardiner AM Director of Lifesaving Sport Development Dr Amiur Rahman DCM PhD Director for Drowning Prevention Dr Shayne Baker OAM DProf Director of Organisational Development Becky Lehman Director of Lifeguard Programmes Operations Manager: Emma Harrison Operations Assistant: Jo Hepburn Society Bankers: Lloyds Bank, PO Box 1000, BX1 1LT Independent Financial Examiner: Richard Oddy FCA Honorary Legal Advisor: Alastair Collett

2

RLSS Board of Trustees

Chair Clive Holland

Treasurer Clive Patrickson PhD

~~Elected Trustees~~

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Asia Pacific
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Pene Snashall Australia

Lim Chien Ch'eng Malaysia Sanath Wijayaratne Sri Lanka

Europe & Africa Canada & Caribbean Cavell Burchell Robert Clark United Kingdom Canada Dylan Tommy John MacFarlane South Africa Jamaica Job Kania John Bruce Kenya St Lucia

~~Appointed Trustees~~

Dr Stephen Beerman Motlatsi Mokala Canada Lesotho

Trustees are appointed or elected in accordance with our Regulations to be representative of the range of our network. All Trustees have participated in an induction programme to acquaint them with the responsibilities of trustees and update them on current aspects of our work

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Governance C¢mmDn%wlth Cwntil Com Deputy gident Presid mnw)nwea Treasurer Officers Rw]alT(uslee operat￿nS & Admlnistrat. BusSness De￿l0prf￿t Commlttee Honours Committee Hefttage commi.tiee Medals Committees Im0￿￿t￿ttffi & RweHI ' Advocacv RLSS Network/Frnds Communkatlons IYDrownlni'. ilfesèvln4". Drownin8 Preventlon velopment throv8h rtPro ett Leader C8anlsatknal Developm•nt Dlrertor Executt¥ Dkertor Llfe8uard ,,Pro8ramM•s Swyt Developm￿t ComnNtt com11￿nWeaIth Faial Orownin8 Fact Sheet WorkJw&oup C¥8anisatSonal D￿elOpment Dlrértorarnd Adm5n15tratlon c￿0￿[natIon yO￿h Eng48erneAt Strate8k Plan Rewe and Reportin4 DrovmlnB Prevention Prokrt WoikiTrgGroup5 Championships Orynlslry Commltteè Diploma Commlttee Gfwernancec ordnatlon Pool lifeward Committee

Our Members

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Europe Members
Cyprus
Gibraltar
Malta
United Kingdom
Asia Pacific Members
Australia
Bangladesh
Canada & the Brunei
Caribbean Members Hong Kong
Barbados India
Africa Members
Canada Malaysia
Botswana
Cayman Islands New Zealand
Cameroon
Jamaica Pakistan
Ghana
St Lucia Singapore
Lesotho
Trinidad & Tobago Sri Lanka
Kenya
Malawi
Mauritius
Nigeria
Rwanda
Sierra Leone
South Africa
Tanzania
Uganda
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5

Our Charitable Purpose

The Royal Life Saving Society provides public benefit as a charity through reducing drownings and the impact of drownings in the community across the Commonwealth.

Our Trustees have complied with their duty in accordance with the Charities Act 2011 to follow the Charity Commission's guidance on the operations of this public benefit

~~Our Mission~~

Commonwewalth Drowning Prevention

~~Our Vision~~

No person in the Commonwealth should drown

~~Our Motto~~

Whomsoever you see in distress, recognise in them a fellow human being Quemcunque Miserum Videris Hominem Scias

~~Our Scope~~

"Drowning Prevention"

All activities that contribute to the saving of life in, on and near water

"Commonwealth"

All nations that are recognised at any given time by the Commonwealth Secretariat including overseas territories, protectorates and dependencies that are recognised at any given time by the Commonwealth Games Federation

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~~Our Values~~

Family

We are a Family with common heritage and values that works to achieve our mission through a common drowning prevention bond

Working Together

The Society is 'Our' organisation, and our strength comes from sharing and working together

Mutual Respect

We will embark on our tasks with honesty and mutual respect for the skills, knowledge and experience that we all bring

Learning

We will foster a commitment to curiosity and continual learning to help us in achieving our tasks

Inclusion

We will include and embrace organisations and personnel throughout the Commonwealth in achieving our missions

~~RLSS Positioning Statement~~

RLSS will facilitate drowning prevention, lifesaving and lifesaving sport activity under the brand of The Royal Life Saving Society (RLSS). The RLSS will also foster and facilitate exchanges and sharing between RLSS Members and Companion Organisations

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Strategic Priorities 2020-2023

~~Active Membership~~

Member Relations

We will coordinate information and data on the activities of all member organisations We will facilitate the building of capacity in those member organisations seeking assistance

We will facilitate engagement with youth from all RLSS member organisations

Drowning Prevention Development through Sport

We will implement a lifesaving “sport for all” programme which facilitates broad participation for all Commonwealth nations. This will be a pathway towards Commonwealth Lifesaving Championships participation.

Virtual International Lifesaving Sport for Development

We will implement a sustainable lifesaving sport opportunity that focuses on interorganisational level pool competitions held locally and with international comparability of results.

~~Pool Lifeguarding~~

We will implement a Commonwealth wide qualification reciprocity program for pool lifeguards in enrolled Commonwealth countries. This program will provide a membership program of benefits for lifeguards that comes as standard with pool lifeguard qualifications

~~Advocacy, Partnerships & Collaboration~~

Drowning Prevention Advocacy

With a clear consistent message, we will position drowning prevention to a range of decision makers throughout the Commonwealth, including the Commonwealth Secretariat, governments and international organisations.

Drowning Data, Information and Evidence

We will understand drowning burden in the Commonwealth as the foundation for our advocacy and capacity building actions.

~~Commonwealth Lifesaving Championships~~

We will organize Commonwealth Lifesaving Championships biennially that enables inclusiveness and engagement.

8

Our Achievements 2021

Impact of COVID-19 on the RLSS and its Member Organisations

As we entered the second year of the pandemic, the work of the Society and our Member Organisations remained impacted. For the early part of 2021, our staff worked from home in accordance with UK Government Directives and enabled our administration operations to be disrupted as little as possible. We continued to closely monitor the financial impact on the Society and our Member Organisations and offered a reduced membership fee for 2021 for those whose finances had been impacted by the pandemic.

It was still difficult to deliver project work, although one project in Malaysia did take place (details of which are below), albeit in a very different format that originally envisaged.

Given that some countries during 2021 lifted restrictions, some of our members continue to deliver online content for their courses and will continue this practice going forward on the elements that can be delivered easily online.

Teacher of Survival Swimming and Water Safety training in Malaysia

Between 21 and 25 November 2021 a Teacher of Survival Swimming and Water Safety blended learning training programme was delivered to 37 teachers from across 16 States and Territories in Malaysia. This was a valuable partnership between RLSS, Life Saving Society Malaysia (LSSM), Malaysia Ministry of Education (MOE) and the Water Activities Safety Council of Malaysia (MKAA) and supported by Speedo International.

The five day programme included theory and practice in all aspects of teaching survival swimming and water safety delivered in person and also online and remotely from Australia

With ongoing support of the Ministry of Education and the Life Saving Society Malaysia the number of trained teachers delivering survival swimming to students will increase each year and contribute to drowning prevention and reduction across Malaysia.

48 hour CPR Challenge

The first RLSS Commonwealth 48 hr CPR Challenge took place on 29th September to mark World Heart Day. Twelve member organisations took part in the Challenge over the two days in a relay style event. Each member organisation taking part organised CPR activities during their allotted times over the two days. The activity was promoted on social media channels and was seen as an awareness raising project rather than fund generating. This will become an annual event and plans for the 2022 CPR Challenge are being made.

9

UN Resolution on Global Drowning Prevention and World Drowning Prevention Day (WDPD)

At the 75th session of the United National General Assembly on Wednesday 28 April 2021, the Draft UN Resolution on Global Drowning Prevention (A/75/L.76) was approved.

It invites countries to take voluntary action on drowning prevention appropriate to national contexts (in line with World Health Organisation recommendations), and encourages collaboration amongst key UN Agencies, to advance awareness and actions to reduce drowning.

This first-ever UN Resolution on Global Drowning Prevention was proposed by the Governments of Bangladesh and Ireland. More than 50 nations (represented by the Government Missions to the UN in New York) participated in the negotiations of this document, including from nations where there an RLSS member.

The Resolution:

The RLSS is well-placed to support international cooperation by sharing lessons learned, and best practices, within and among regions. RLSS already contributed to such work through collaboration with the World Health Organisation (WHO), International Life Saving Federation (ILS), via drowning prevention and resuscitation projects in many Commonwealth countries

The lifesaving community owes thanks to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) for their highly skilled and effective leadership to bring this UN Resolution on Global Drowning Prevention to reality.

Sunday 25th July 2021 saw the first World Drowning Prevention Day. World Drowning Prevention Day serves two purposes. It acknowledges and commemorates the thousands of lives lost to the water every year; and accelerates and celebrates life-saving solutions that we can all take to prevent drowning locally, nationally, regionally and globally.

The Royal Life Saving Society ran a social media campaign on the run up to and during the first World Drowning Prevention Day. Communications were also sent to all Commonwealth organisations and High Commissions in London as an advocacy piece and we were delighted that the Commonwealth Hub of the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office acknowledged the day by retweeting posts from the World Health Organisation.

10

Pool Lifeguard Project

In 2020 we commenced the work to see if we could offer a Commonwealth Pool Lifeguard reciprocity programme. This programme seeks to assist lifeguards to move from being a qualified lifeguard in their current country to being eligible for employment in a chosen destination country by removing or minimising barrier to gaining the necessary qualifications for employment.

The initial stages that commenced in late 2020 and continued into 2021, involving four of our larger branches, Australia, Canada, South Africa and the UK. The project was completed in a serious of steps and included in-depth comparisons of curriculums of each country and documents competency gaps to ensure appropriate resources could be developed.

Some work is still to be completed on the final recommendations and this will be completed in early 2022.

Mountbatten Medal

2021 marked the 70th Anniversary of the Mountbatten medal and to mark this occasion the Mountbatten Medal book was published.

The Mountbatten medal is awarded annually for the most gallant rescue or rescue attempt undertaken in the previous year by an individual who has taken RLSS training or holds or has held a lifesaving award delivered by a RLSS Member Organisation.

The book contains information on the History of the Society, details on the involvement of Lord Mountbatten with the RLSS, how the Mountbatten Medal came about, it’s criteria, production and awarding details. There are citations, many with pictures, of all recipients since 1951. The final section of the book contains personal reflections of 5 of the recipients of the Mountbatten Medal. It was humbling for those who conducted the interviews to get an understanding on how the awarding the Mountbatten Medal had impacted on the lives of the recipients. The Mountbatten Medal book will become part of the Society’s archive and is available for purchase

11

King Edward VII Cup Presentation

The Society was honoured to have our Patron, HM The Queen present, virtually, the 2020 King Edward VII Cup to Dr Stephen Beerman from Canada. The virtual call took place on 6th May as was attended by Dr Stephen Beerman, Deputy Commonwealth President, Mr Clive Holland and two previous Russell Medal recipients, Sarah Downes (UK) and Tanner Gorille (South Africa). During the call, Her Majesty recalled her RLSS achievements particularly her Artificial Respiratory Award which she took 80 years ago. The King Edward VII Cup is awarded each two years, in even numbered years, to a person who has made an outstanding contribution to lifesaving.

Member Relations

Drowning Prevention Development through Sport (aka Lifesaving Sport for All)

The aim of the Drowning Prevention Development through Sport project is to develop and implement a lifesaving “sport for all” programme that introduces lifesaving sport for those who have completed basic swimming and water safety education.

This first year of the project under the leadership of Nathalie Vallieres Martin from Canada included investigation and research into what lifesaving sport programmes were being developed and/or delivered across RLSS member organisations. Towards the end of the year plans were initiated to form a Working Group to consider a draft Programme Guide and to coordinate a number of pilot programmes.

We continue to maintain contact with our Member Organisations and have continued with our twice yearly Committee of Presidents meetings. During 2021, we introduced guest speakers for these meetings, Dr Aminur Rahman from our Member Organisation in Bangladesh presented on the Commonwealth Fatal Drowning factsheet and Gemma May, from RNLI presented on the UN Resolution on Drowning Prevention. We also offered several additional benefits to our membership which included the production of a marketing brochure to highlight the members connection to the RLSS and a member presentation that could be used when promoting their activities or any advocacy work.

We continue to deliver our Membership Review and questionnaires have been sent to all branches. Interviews with several branches have taken place and have provided us an opportunity to get a better understanding on the operations within those organisations and for them to learn more about how we can support them.

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Other Notable Achievements

We continue our relationship with Speedo International, despite a change in personnel within Speedo. We are developing project plans for the funding already received and hope to roll out projects in Sri Lanka and South Africa during 2022. We continue to promote the Small Grants Programme and in 2021 awarded grants to:

An Advocacy Steering Group was set up in October 2022 and in December the RLSS Advocacy Plan was approved by the Board of Trustees. The aims of the RLSS Advocacy Plan include to elevate awareness and support by the Commonwealth of Nations leadership for drowning prevention, lifesaving, and youth leadership training through the work of the RLSS and its members, and to strengthen the RLSS contributions within the global drowning prevention effort. The roll out of the Advocacy Plan will commence in 2022

In December, we appointed a volunteer Youth Advocate who will be responsible for working with the RLSS Directors and RLSS Headquarters to support the development and implementation of activity that ensures young people are engaged and involved in the RLSS. This activity is guided by the RLSS Position Statement on Youth Engagement.

We also continued our partnership with the Lifesaving Society of Canada in the design and development of the Commonwealth Virtual Lifesaving Challenge. These are inter-organisation (e.g. club, provincial or national teams) level pool lifesaving competitions held during predetermined dates at aquatic facilities throughout the year. The performances of competitors are compared with other lifesavers – all without travelling outside their local community. We anticipate launching this in late 2022.

The RLSS Sport Development Committee (SDC) and the Lifesaving Society Canada continued to plan for the for the 2023 Commonwealth Lifesaving Championships to be held in Windsor, Ontario Canada from 13 to 17 September 2023. The 2023 Championships have been rescheduled from 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The SDC activities included updating the competition rules, developing rules for a dry simulated emergency response competition (SERC), and investigating Commonwealth lifesaving sport records.

The RLSS Diploma recognises significant contributes to our life saving knowledge. It is one of the Society's oldest and most prestigious international awards. The RLSS Diploma is awarded to individuals and teams, who have added to our knowledge in ways that can save lives and prevent drowning.

In 2021 we received 4 Diploma applications on the following subjects:

The Society has a wide range of Honours to recognise the significant contribution of volunteers. In 2021 we commenced a review of our current handbook and this will be completed by March 2022 and approval from the Board of Trustees will be sought.

Higher Society Honours awarded in 2021: Honorary Life Member Geh Thuan Tek (Malaysia) Honorary Life Governor Joseph Debono (Malta) Paul Ellul Bonici (Malta) Janet Wilson (UK) Commonwealth Vice President Carol Devaux (St Lucia) Colin Macdonald (Lesotho)

13

RLSS Awards and Medals

The Mountbatten Medal is awarded annually for the most gallant rescue or attempted rescue undertaken in the previous calendar year. In 2019 the recipient was Conor Power from Ireland

On 11th November 2020, 17-year-old Conor Power was at the Northern end of Greystones South Beach, County Wicklow, Ireland, to train for the practical element of his Physical Education Leaving Certificate exam. A quick inspection showed that conditions were too severe (gusty winds, strong current to the north and large waves breaking on to the shore) and the training session was cancelled. A little later, around 3pm, Conor, who holds several RLSS Awards including Survive and Save Bronze (Open Water) was on his way home with a colleague when he became aware of a lady being moved towards the rocks by the sea. A bystander told him she had not been making progress for more than 15 min. She was being carried toward the rocks by the sea.

Conor asked the bystander to contact the emergency services. In the meantime, he got a ring buoy and gave it, with instruction in its use, to his colleague should Conor have to enter the water. Conor then ran some 200 metres to get another ring buoy for use in a rescue, if needed.

As the casualty’s situation was not improving Conor decided it necessary to attempt a rescue, so he stripped to his underwear and taking the ring buoy swam the approximate 200 metres distance to the lady. He gave her the buoy and retaining the rope attempted to tow her clear of the dangerous rocks. After much effort he got her clear of the immediate danger of the rocks but the effort, cold water, the wind, and waves effected his strength, and left him exposed to excessive risk. He instructed the lady to not to let go of the ring buoy under any circumstance, that help was on its way. He returned to shore, where initially he was placed in a Garda car and subsequently in an ambulance to warm up and oxygen was administered as his oxygen levels were low due to the effort. Subsequently he was brought to St Vincent’s Hospital A&E where he was observed for around 3 hours prior to release.

The casualty was recovered from the sea by Rescue 116, the local Search and Rescue helicopter (SAR), and was, also, evacuated to hospital where she is understood to have made a full recovery.

A Mountbatten Medal Letter of Commendation was also awarded to Andrew Hand-Davis from the UK for rescuing a young girl from the sea near Southampton in June 2020.

Unfortunately, there were no nominations for the Russel Medal in 2020 which is awarded for the most outstanding resuscitation or attempted resuscitation performed by a person under 18 years of age.

14

RLSS Headquarters, Governance and Administration

We have continued to develop our internal processes and policies and continually monitor our risk management.

During 2021 the RLSS continued to improve its governance and systems by reviewing and updating our Regulations, reviewing quarterly the Risk Register and a range of polices that has included:

The Board of Trustees also approved the adoption of two new Policies relating to Intellectual Property (IP)

RLSS024 Recognition and Protection of RLSS Intellectual Property

RLSS025 Sharing of Intellectual Property Among Approved RLSS Member Branches

Our Board of Trustees have continued to meet quarterly. The term of the current Board will end in May 2022 and we seek nominations for the new Board in early 2022. The Business Development Committee, made up of Chief Executive Officers from our four larger branches have met periodically during 2021 to discuss various matters such as Learning Management System, Advocacy and the Regional Development Fund. Our Membership Committee continued to meet quarterly to review various membership issues and consider new membership applications.

Collaboration

Drowning is a complex public health problem which goes without recognition or attention in many areas of greatest need. Indeed, it has been called a hidden epidemic. There are more ‘at risk’ populations in the world needing drowning prevention assistance than there are organisations focused on providing help. The RLSS Commonwealth drowning prevention mission needs collaboration from all national, regional and international organisations and governments to be most effective – cooperating fully for the benefit of people worldwide to reduce the global burden of drowning. Strong partnerships are key to achieving our aim of eliminating drowning in the Commonwealth and have enabled us to support our Member Branches in low resourced settings.

In 2021, key partnerships for RLSS included:

The Commonwealth - the Commonwealth is a voluntary association of 54 independent countries that are united by values enshrined in the Commonwealth Charter. Whilst the Commonwealth’s roots go back to the days of the British Empire, membership of the Commonwealth today is based on free and equal voluntary co-operation. The Commonwealth Secretariat implements the decisions and plans of Commonwealth leaders.

15

Our 33 RLSS Member Branches who continue to work at the national and community level to reduce drowning through:

The International Life Saving Federation (ILS). Both RLSS and RLSS Member Branches are represented on the ILS Board and on the ILS Commissions and Committees, strengthening opportunities for effective collaboration.

The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI). We continue to collaborate with the RNLI and maintain regular dialogue on matters of mutual interest.

Having signed a two-year agreement in late 2019 with Speedo International, we continue to work closely with them delivering our Small Grants Programme and a larger annual project. COVID-19 has had an impact on the delivery of this work, but we remain in regular communication with the team at Speedo although there has been a change of personnel at Speedo and their parent company Pentland during 2021.

Acknowledgements

The Society’s achievements would not have been possible without the support of and contribution from the following persons who gave of their time and experience.

Portfolio Directors

Norman Farmer AM ESM – Executive Director

Committee and Working Group Chairs

Our Committees and Working Groups are composed of members from Australia, Canada, India, Lesotho, Malaysia, Malta, South Africa, St Lucia and the UK and we are extremely grateful to all the members for their valuable contributions.

16

Our Plans for 2022

We will have effective and efficient administrative systems that support the Society’s operations and activities.

This will be achieved through:

Specific plans for 2022 are:

17

Financial Summary

Income

As with previous, years, much of the RLSS's income is member payments from the three largest members branches (Australia, Canada and the UK). Our income was down due partly to us offering members a reduced or zeroed membership fee for 2021. We have also stopped receiving an annual donation from HRH The Duke of Edinburgh which has slightly impacted our income.

We will continue to look at diversifying income streams and funding opportunities.

Our largest branches have made commitments to continue to support the administration of the Society, allowing any raised funds to be spent on programmatic activity.

Expenditure

Most RLSS expenditure finances the valuable work of RLSS Headquarters (staff and running costs). With the continuation of the COVID-19 pandemic, our expenditure has been relatively low as much of our activity has been postponed. We did however, fund the Teacher of Survival Swimming and Water Safety project in Malaysia.

Donors & Funders 2021

The Royal Life Saving Society wishes to thank the following individuals and organisations for their most generous donations, sponsorships and grants during 2021

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II The Lifesaving Society Canada Royal Life Saving Society Australia Royal Life Saving Society UK

Laerdal Medical Clive Holland James McClelland BM Shayne Baker

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Reserves Policy & Regional Development Fund

RLSS has a Reserves Policy aimed at ensuring the financial sustainability of the Society. As at the end of 2021, we had £70,225 of general reserves

Over recent years RLSS has managed to increase its financial reserves through the continued contributions from major branches, increased contributions from member organisations, grants and sponsorships and good fiscal management. This allowed us to offer reduced membership fees to our members who were struggling financially during the pandemic.

Several member organisations were able to contribute the full membership amount but requested that 50% of their fee was ringfenced for development work. We also had several designated funds that had small amounts of funding in them. The Board of Trustees approved that we should merge these designated funds, the additional membership payments and some of our reserves to create one Regional Development Fund.

The Regional Development Fund is for multi-year term-based projects in each of the three Regions (Africa-Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Canada and the Caribbean) consistent with the RLSS Strategic Action Plan. RLSS will provide financial support for two- or three-year regional development projects, each of which would have a plan with some specific outcomes, run in partnership with major Branches.

Statement of Trustees' Responsibilities

In relation to the following financial statements of the Royal Life Saving Society to year end 31 December 2021

In accordance with the Charities Act 2011, the Trustees have prepared the following Financial Statements which give a true and fair view of the Charity's financial activities during the year 2021 and of its financial position as at 31 December 2021. In preparing these Financial Statements, bet practice has been followed and suitable accounting policies have bene consistently applied.

Applicable accounting standards and the Statement of Recommended Practice "Accounting and Reporting by Charities" 2005 have been followed.

The Financial Statements have been independently examined by Richard Oddy FCA after he was given access to all relevant financial documents, general correspondence and Minutes of all Society Committee meetings.

Signed on behalf of the Society Trustees

Clive Holland Clive Patrickson PhD Deputy Commonwealth President Treasurer June 2022 June 2022

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Financial Statements For the year ended 31st December 2021

Report to the trustees of The Royal Life sai.ing Society and to the Comm￿1veal1h Council On Ydccounts for the year ended 31 December 2021 I rep(Tt to the trustees on rny eyamination ofthe aluxmts of the atrfwe L8rity (Ihe Trust-) for the year ended 31 December 2021 &1 set oul on paB&$ 3 and 4. Re$￿￿81b11ltle% thnd b#qi% of A5 th¢ charity truAe¢s of th¢ TnLSi Y￿ are r¢sr)nsibl¢ for the prep8r￿l0rt of the accounts u) report Accor(kn with the requirements ofthe Act 2011 ('Ihe Act.). I rep￿t in respect of rn). eY2min2tion of the Trust's accounts carried out under section 145 of the 901 l Act and in carryry oul rny &x8ml￿tIOTr. I have followed the applicable Directions 8iv¢n by th¢ Charty Cunmi¥ion under ￿ti(￿145(5xb) ofth¢ A¢1. Inde￿[mIcnI exumintr'i I have cornpleied my e.x8min8lion. I Conf￿ that no materiBI matters hHve come to my stalement attention in ¢otm¢rt￿ with th¢ &¥amin8tion which 8iV¢5 m¢ ¢au%¢ to b¢liev¢ ilwl irn any materMI res￿GI.. ount1￿ r¢cord8 were not kepl in 8ccordgnce with sedion 130 of the Act or the ￿co￿ts (b Mt 2ccord with accountin8 records I hav¢ no wn¢¢rM hav¢ wm¢ •croL nooth¢r m8tt¢r8 in ¢ont)¢ction with ih¢ ¢xaminotson lo which attentiLm should be drnwn in (Yder to enable 8 prcper understanding of the accounts to re￿h¢d Signed.. Richard Oddy FCA I)ate. 07 June 2022

Roj'al Life sa￿ng Society. Receipts and pai'ments account Tr'or Ibe ￿rfo￿ 31111y￿• I L tUL&tsliL&' ILsiJILLL lli Al Heitl JY02 L•.•0• 2Jl• 720 L?.ylO L?mQ DIMions 73J 214 ityi 4hdl Ilr¥ll4 lyOIè 170 252 A2 Asti ILYeitwent $4es. See lable Smb irfal T4YthI r¢cdpis 1252 42.1 J2 117.•94 A£11￿11 21J 21 2IJ44 art¢r lodi J20 17J 12• Ilr i)(rtI 24 Afji41 Sub loial .rJ A4 Assel aiml lryyestrwit rclw¥v5 svt it4t 29J6 4•J7J 22.863 4JJJ2 4.58 A6 Cash tund5 1451 ier eThl CushfvNd¥lhisyearend J•)ci 11&6• J2?.761 IIOq•9 22

Clive Patrickson 15th June 2022 Clive Holland 15th June 2022

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The Royal Life Saving Society Commonwealth Headquarters Red Hill House 227 London Road Worcester WR5 2JG United Kingdom

Telephone: +44 (0)300 323 0096 Email: commonwealth@rlss.org.uk Website: www.rlsscommonwealth.org