In the UK alone, over four million people participated in some form of swimming in 2023.

And while the pandemic prompted a flurry of pool closures that continue today, many defied this worrying trend by heading for a dip outdoors in lakes, rivers, lochs, and seas. Over half a million of us took a dip in open water last year.

And yet, in a twisted irony, Covid-19 also triggered a shortage of qualified lifeguards to keep us safe.

And so, in this episode of Unsung, we meet some of the country’s best lifeguards to discover why they do what they do, and to see if we can’t persuade a few more to follow their lead…