Swim Safe – took part, had fun, stayed safe
As we pack the wetsuits, flags and banners away for another year, we look back at the success of Swim Safe 2015.
Run in partnership between the ASA and the RNLI (Royal National Lifeboat Institution), Swim Safe is an annual programme that teaches children how to be safe in, on, and around open water.
Swimming in the sea or in a lake is very different to swimming at the local pool so it’s important that children know about the potential dangers and how to stay safe.
Since it launched in 2013 the programme has grown steadily, increasing to seven locations this year, and seeing almost 4,000 children during the six week period of public sessions.
A further 1,800 children attended as part of Swim Safe For Schools, introduced for the first time in 2015, with sessions taking place in four of the public session locations, and an additional programme in Tinside, Plymouth.
The schools programmes allowed schools to book whole class sessions to give all of their pupils the opportunity to learn the importance of understanding the dangers of open water, and for many, experience their first taste of open water swimming.
As in the previous two years, the programme encourages children to learn about the flags at the beach, where it’s safe to swim, self-rescue techniques and they dangers that might be encountered while in or around the water. Fun and engaging sessions allow children to actively practice what they could do if they found themselves in trouble while swimming in open water.
The initiative was rolled out across England, the Isle of Man and Jersey as new research, conducted by the ASA and RNLI, revealed that a fifth children in England had got into trouble when in the sea or open water, with 40 per cent of parents saying it was a serious incident.
To help drive down the number of accidents and casualties lifeguards have to deal with on England’s busiest beaches and lakeside locations, this year’s programme had a two pronged approach. It focussed as much on educating the parents as on teaching children important safety messages after 13 per cent of parents revealed they do not think it is their responsibility to ensure their child is safe when in or near the sea or open water.
ASA Head of Learn to Swim, Jon Glenn, was delighted with the success of this year’s project.
“Almost as many young people took part this year as in the two previous years combined,” said Glenn. “This is testament to the hard work and commitment of the whole Swim Safe team to ensuring that more children are able to take advantage of the programme and keep themselves safe.
“This year we were spurred on by research which revealed that a fifth of children in England have got into difficulties in open water, with 40 per cent of parents saying it was a serious incident. This was something that was of great concern to both us and the RNLI.”
Swim safe ambassador Cassie Patten, Olympic open water bronze medallist, knows first-hand about the importance of understanding the risks of open water, but also the fun it can bring.
Patten said: “A lot of people learn to swim in a swimming pool and then assume it will be exactly the same when they head out into open water but there are actually a lot of differences between the two.
“The temperature, the fact that there are waves, tides and currents, sandbanks that can suddenly drop away all make it a very different environment in which to swim. Staying safe is about having the confidence to know what to do in those situations. It’s really important for children’s safety, and for parent’s peace of mind knowing their child will be safe.”
