Southern Water is celebrating 25 years of its Learn to Swim scheme, which has helped the likes of Mike Goody, who returned from last year’s Invictus Games with 4 gold medals.
Since its introduction in 1992, the Learn to Swim programme – which currently runs in 84 swimming pools across Kent, Sussex, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight – has helped teach 750,000 children to swim and be safe in the water.
Mike learnt to swim through the programme 23 years ago. He said:
“Learning to swim under the scheme gave me the inspiration and motivation I needed to enjoy the sport. It’s absolutely vital that children learn to swim, especially in our region which is home to 700 miles of coastline. I’m honoured to be celebrating 25 years of the programme today, as an ambassador.”
Olympic gold-medallist Duncan Goodhew MBE – one of the first Learn to Swim ambassadors – co-hosted an event at the Amex Stadium, Brighton to celebrate both the anniversary of the programme and the swimming teachers who make it possible.
Other guests included paralympic champion, Sascha Kindred, and record-breaking open water swimmer, Adam Walker, who gave an inspirational talk about his challenges and accomplishments.
Speaking at the event, Duncan, said:
“The scheme is really special and has massive depth. It’s about how do you improve that initial moment a child gets in the water and has their first lesson. Learning to swim is one of the most important things a child does in their earlier lives. It’s crucial for their own safety, development and confidence.”
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Southern Water’s CEO, Ian McAulay, added:
“It’s our 25th anniversary of the Learn to Swim programme, which is quite remarkable. We’re celebrating all those who’ve been through the programme- the teachers, children and the people who’ve put a lot of time into the scheme.”
