Pools 4 Schools

ITS STRICTLY COME SWIMMING WITH MARK FOSTER AT POOLS 4 SCHOOLS, COLCHESTER

Former World Swimming Champion and Strictly Come Dancing star, Mark Foster will visit The Stanway School on 14th January, to launch the British Gas Pools 4 Schools programme at the Old Heath School site.

Mark Foster will be supporting fellow Olympian and former British swimming captain, Olympic bronze-medalist, Steve Parry, whose Pools 4 Schools programme is currently teaching children to swim across the country and has already achieved significant results in London, Birmingham, Sheffield and Manchester, amongst others.

The revolutionary British Gas Pools 4 Schools initiative, takes mobile swimming pools to schools around the country, offering a six to eight week programme of swimming lessons, in areas where people find it difficult to access local pools.

"The focus of the programme is, and always has been, to support young people in achieving the National Curriculum target of swimming 25m and to gain an understanding of water safety", says Steve Parry, who himself nearly drowned as a youngster, whilst on a day trip to london.

Mark Foster adds: " The children here are learning both Health & Safety benefits, in parallel with social interaction and the enjoyment that can be experienced from swimming. Plus you never know, the Pools 4 Schools Programme may even find another Becky Adlington!"

The DCSF-funded British Gas Pools 4 Schools programme, in colaboration with the Amateur Swimming Association, will be working together with local partners, including the Colchester-Blackwater Schools Sports Partnership, Essex County Council, Thurstable School and Swim-With-Me.

There will be 16 schools in the area, which will have the use of the pool for the entire six-week period and during after school hours, the local community will also have access to the pool, for a variety of different sessions.

Mark Foster

"Its exiciting to see children who have had very little, or in some cases, no swimming experience, learning to enjoy the water and take their first steps towards learning to swim with the Pools 4 Schools programme."

"Learning to swim is inporatnt for safety reasons fisrt and foremost, and secondly, as a nation we are doing less exercise. With health problems such as diabetes and obesity on the rise, its vital that children and families are encouraged to keep fit and healthy in order to lead a better life."

"The fantastic thing about swimming is that anybody can take part. Its non-weight bearing and can appeal to any age group. The children here are learning both Health & Safety benefits, in parallel with social interaction and the enjoyment that can be experienced from swimming. Plus you never know, the Pools 4 Schools Programme may even find another Becky Adlington!"

Chris Taylor

Partnership Development Manager of the Colchester-Blackwater School Sports Partnership

"The Colchester-Blackwater School Sport Partnership (managed by Thurstable School) is delighted to have been given   the chance to be part of this fantastic initiative and provide the oportunity for hundreds of young children to learn a fundamental life skill. A huge debt of thanks must go to the various partners involved with total swimming that allow this opportunity to be delivered free to young children; a special thanks must go to the build team who worked through freezing conditions to construct the pool. With the additional help from Essex County Council, Thurstable School and Swim-With-Me, it is now providing lessons to pupils from 16 local schools. The young people are thoroughly enjoying their swim lessons and are disapointed that the pool can not stay permanently!"

..... more photos