Everybody Health and Leisure addresses hot-weather drownings with pilot swim safe scheme

Charitable trust, Everybody Health and Leisure, is partnering with The Rotary Club on a pilot programme to teach essential swimming and lifesaving skills to young people who missed out on swimming lessons during lockdown.

President of the Rotary Club of Congleton, Simon Fallis, has driven the scheme forward after recent hot-weather swimming tragedies involving young people in the UK.

Fallis engaged with several local agencies and youth groups, the two Congleton senior schools, and Congleton MP, Sarah Russell. After gaining their support he approached Everybody Health and Leisure, which operates 18 leisure facilities in Cheshire East. 

As a result, a pilot is offering five one-hour sessions to 24 individuals aged 14-to-16, to develop practical skills and water confidence.

Fallis said: “We hope we can do something to prevent future tragedies with a programme of swimming and water safety lessons. If the pilot is successful and oversubscribed, the Rotary Club, together with other interested parties, will negotiate to run further courses.”

The programme is focusing on practical water competency, personal survival awareness and basic lifesaving skills. Organisers hope the pilot will demonstrate the value of targeted interventions to address gaps in swimming ability caused by the pandemic and provide a model that could be expanded in future years.

Neil Ruff at Everybody Health and Leisure, told HCM: “This partnership allows us to reach young people who may otherwise have missed out and provide them with high-quality instruction from experienced professionals. We’re proud to support this initiative and help create safer, healthier communities.”