Leisure and hospitality teams at Sea Lanes Canary Wharf have become the first to take part in STA’s new Public Open Water Emergency Response (POWER) course, designed to give people working close to open water the knowledge and confidence to respond safely in an emergency.

The inaugural Public Open Water Emergency Response (POWER) course was hosted at the London waterside venue on 7th September by STA Aquatics & Lifesaving Tutor Helen Bull, owner of The Swimming Unicorn, an STA Approved Training Centre (ATC), and Operations Consultant for Sea Lanes.

Located at Eden Dock in the heart of Canary Wharf, Sea Lanes features a 50-metre natural floating open-air swimming pool, alongside food, drink and retail facilities. It sits within one of London’s busiest mixed-use communities, surrounded by offices, shops, restaurants and leisure facilities -making it a fitting location for the first POWER course and demonstrating why water safety awareness can be relevant far beyond those working directly in aquatics.

The course also marked an important milestone for Helen as the first course delivered through her newly approved STA Approved Training Centre, The Swimming Unicorn. Helen volunteered her time to deliver the inaugural training free of charge to staff at Sea Lanes.

Staff working across Sea Lanes, including its food and beverage teams, took part alongside employees from South Downs Leisure, which operates the swimming pool at Sea Lanes Canary Wharf. By bringing together people working in both leisure and hospitality, the first course demonstrated how employees in many different roles could unexpectedly find themselves first on the scene if somebody gets into difficulty in or around the water.

Helen Bull, STA Aquatics & Lifesaving Tutor, owner of The Swimming Unicorn and Operations Consultant for Sea Lanes, said: “Everyone at Sea Lanes has been profoundly saddened by the fatal drownings we have seen across the UK this summer. Our natural call to action is to do anything we possibly can to help prevent future drownings, and STA launching the new POWER course gave us a wonderful opportunity to do something practical.

“We are incredibly proud to host the first course at Sea Lanes and, for me personally as an STA Aquatics & Lifesaving Tutor, I wanted to give my time to deliver it. What are a few hours for me may hopefully equate to other families not losing precious time together in the future.”

Launched by STA this summer, POWER has been specifically developed for businesses and employees whose workplaces are located close to open water. Whether it is a marina, visitor attraction, holiday park, waterside café, rowing or sailing club, local authority, leisure facility, construction company or another workplace located near open water, staff could unexpectedly find themselves faced with an emergency.

POWER provides practical awareness training, helping participants recognise an emergency, raise the alarm, use publicly available rescue equipment safely and support someone in difficulty without entering the water themselves.

It is not a formal lifesaving qualification. Instead, its aim is to give participants the practical knowledge and confidence to respond appropriately and safely during the vital time before the emergency services arrive.

Zoe Cooper, Commercial Director at STA, said: “Sea Lanes Canary Wharf is a fantastic setting for the first POWER course because it demonstrates exactly why this training is needed. In a busy waterside community surrounded by offices, shops, restaurants and leisure facilities, it won’t necessarily be someone working in aquatics who is first on the scene when an emergency happens.

“By bringing leisure and hospitality teams together, this first course shows how POWER can extend practical water safety knowledge beyond traditional aquatic roles. We hope it will encourage more businesses located near open water to consider how they can equip their teams with the knowledge and confidence to respond safely while the emergency services are on their way.”

The launch of POWER forms part of STA’s ongoing #LoveWaterSafely campaign, which encourages individuals, families, schools, communities and businesses to develop the knowledge and practical skills needed to enjoy open water safely and respond appropriately in an emergency. Through POWER, STA is extending practical water safety education beyond traditional aquatic environments to more people who live and work around open water.

For more information about STA’s Public Open Water Emergency Response (POWER) course:

Find out more