Trying to persuade teenagers that water safety is cool isn’t easy but 20-year-old volunteer Tery Connor has it sussed …

‘I have a passion for working with young people and considerable knowledge of sea safety. People in my home town of Letham, Perth, think that, not being coastal, they don’t have to bother about water safety, but I’m trying to drive the water safety message home. Every year 2–3 people die here in the River Tay.'

Tery learned his sea safety message the hard way on a square-rigged brig: ‘I was only 13 and helping on the Tall Ship Royalist. The weather turned cold but I was still running about in shorts and T-shirt. I started ignoring what people were saying – a symptom of hypothermia, but at first everyone just thought I was being arrogant! When the shivers and shakes set in my condition was recognised. The local RNLI lifeboat rescued me and I was airlifted to hospital.

‘Until then I’d never heard of the RNLI. When I came to in hospital I wanted to know how I’d got there, who were these RNLI folks, what did they do?’

In October 2009 Tery started volunteering with the RNLI and, on Good Friday 2010, ran a belated SOS Day collection in Perth raising £1,083. He then shadowed Scotland’s RNLI Education Manager Carol Raeburn teaching sea safety and began presenting the sea safety message himself.

Tery raises issues like tombstoning, alcohol awareness and basic water safety with youth groups, using a hands-on approach.

‘The youngsters put on “beer goggles” – designed to make the wearer feel under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Then I ask them to throw a lifeline to their mate who’s drowning. They soon realise that even an easy task like that becomes impossible.’

Tery insists it’s crucial to gain the group’s attention immediately: ‘“How would you eat an elephant?” is my favourite ice-breaker question. This gets the group talking and I find I’m having questions fired at me for the whole session. I’ve never had an inattentive group.’

On 19 May this year Tery’s volunteering achievement was recognised by the RNLI at the charity’s annual ceremony. He won the Young Supporter Award. Although Tery holds down two jobs in addition to his extensive voluntary work, he’s modest: ‘I felt proud at the time on stage but I think there are many other folk doing far more wonderful stuff than me.’