Volunteers from the Gibraltar Tourist Board and the Gibraltar Sports and Leisure Authority, coordinated by staff Natalia Ruiz and Douglas Robles, recently held a fund-raising fun day at the Gibraltar Bathing Pavilion just before it closed for the season in aid of Rainbow Ward, the children’s ward at St Bernard’s Hospital.
Although the event was primarily intended as a family fun day, there was a more serious side to it with the celebration of the Gibraltar Lifeguard Service Championships as part of a public information drive to enhance community confidence in this government service and promote its important health and safety function.
The event was also intended to demonstrate the training and professionalism of local lifesavers and highlight how they are constantly developing their skills.
Other activities included the Essential Services relay races and tug-of-war, bouncy castle, Go Kart track, face painting, kids’ water polo, and pool relay races. There was also a BBQ for regular users, bingo, raffles and music entertainment. These activities were particularly enjoyed by the pensioners.
The result of the Lifeguard Championship was:
- 1st :Gibraltar Sports and Leisure Authority
- 2nd :Babies H20
- 3rd :Gibraltar Tourist Board
The Essential Services competition was won by the Gibraltar Fire and Rescue Service, with the Royal Gibraltar Police in second place and the Gibraltar Defence Police in third place.
Over £6,000 was raised for the GHA Rainbow Ward. Further fund-raising events for the Rainbow Ward are planned for later this month.
Minister for Tourism, Samantha Sacramento, was delighted with the result of the fun day: “The departments had several objectives in mind when organising this event. They wanted to raise money for a worthy cause, but also to promote crucial ‘drowning prevention advice’ to a wider audience.
“There was also a fun element to the occasion which brought together different members of the community to enjoy a great day outdoors.
“I would also like to thank all the sponsors for their valuable donations and all those who made this event possible, including the countless volunteers who helped organising and assisting throughout the day.”
