SwimTime highlight dangers of children missing out on swimming lessons
Swindon lessons take place at Village Hotels and Everlast
An organisation which offers swim lessons across Swindon has raised concerns about children’s water safety education.
With the numbers of leisure centres and swimming pools that close going up nationally, many children are not aware of how to behave correctly around water.
This includes knowing how to judge if a lake, sea or river is safe to swim in but also how to save themselves or help others if needed.
Joan O’Sullivan, director of SwimTime’s training academy, said: “They should be aware of the dangers, and we should be educating them constantly.
“The dangers in and around water, the types of dangers in and around the house – gardens with ponds and baths left filled with water. Externally, we’ve had a lot of flooded areas recently, from over-spilling rivers and reservoirs, especially with the rain that we get.
“Water is an attraction for children. They're tempted to go to it and what we've got to make sure as they know the do's and don'ts around any aquatic water environment, whether it be gardens, ponds, public or private areas.”
Swimming is a 'life skill'
The closure of venues is largely due to a lack of funding which means that local authorities are unable to repair any wear and tear.
As a result, there is not just a shortage of private lessons but schools are cutting their swimming lessons as well.
SwimTime have been bringing water safety education to classrooms recently to make sure that children and young people understand the fundamentals of rescues and buoyancy aids.
It is also important for parents to be aware of the dangers that water can pose and for them to actively make sure their child is educated properly on water safety.
“Ensure that your child has the opportunity to be able to learn to swim. And the key thing being within that, it's not just about the swimming lesson, it's about the whole education side around swimming, so they can learn about the do's and don'ts around water”, Ms. O’Sullivan explained.
“But help save the pools to give them access to be able to learn to swim. We're losing so many pools and it’s getting together to make sure that the community pools survive and we get access for everybody to be able to have that life skill.”
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