Free courses at Martello Beach in Clacton teach children to swim safely in the sea
Swim Safe offers lessons to kids from 7 to 14 in August
Young people between 7 and 14 years are offered free training lessons to swim safely in the sea.
Swim Safe, a water safety programme developed by Swim England and the RNLI, teaches children water awareness among the waves, and is backed by the Tendring Water Safety Forum.
At Martello Beach in Clacton children will learn the meanings of the flags, and what to do when they get into trouble. Under the watch of certified swimming teachers and Beach Patrol members, they practice to float on their backs. In an emergency, this technique helps to control the breathing to call for help or wait for rescue.
Alex Porter, TDC Cabinet Member for Leisure and Tourism, said it was an important skill for people to learn: “Swimming in the sea is very different to doing laps of the pool, no matter how strong you are, and these sessions help people to learn the difference and stay safe.”
Scott Lawrence, seafront manager at Tendring Council points out some of the dangers the sea holds even for good swimmers: the currents, the wave action, the changing levels of depth.
He said: “No beaches are safe, but fortunately ours are safer than others.” For a fun and safe summer by the seaside, he encourages people to stay away from rocks and piers: “That is where you get the nasty currents.”
Scott also recommends only visiting life-guarded beaches, making use of the RNLI wristband safety scheme, and not going too deep into the water: “All I say to people is: Swim chest-high. You can lift your legs and swim, you don’t have to go as far as you can.”
Public sessions will be held at Martello Beach, Clacton, with four sessions each day from 16-20 August. More sessions are being held in Harwich, funded by the Harwich Haven Authority. Each lesson lasts one hour.
Scott Lawrence says he has signed his children up and encourages others to do the same: “I think the two best things you can teach your children as apparent is to swim, and to be polite to people.“
Sessions can be booked online.