Disability charity gives free lessons

06th March, 2017

Swim charity doubles its provision

Level Water provides free one-to-one swimming lessons for children with disabilities, and has the capacity to take on more students at this time. ‘Without our one-to-one swimming lessons, most of these children will never learn to swim,’ says director Ian Thwaites. ‘We are in 50 pools and teaching 450 children a week; a figure which has doubled in the last year.’

Level Water works by providing children with one-to-one lessons until they have learnt to swim 15m frontcrawl and backstroke. ‘From this point, these children are safe and independent in the water,’ says Thwaites. ‘They can join group swimming lessons and we support them to continue swimming and over time join their local competitive swimming club.  We help them for a year and it gives them a lifetime of sport.’

Level Water became a charity partner of the Dart10k in 2016 with swimmers raising £45,000 for the charity – allowing them to open in another 10 sites and teach 100 new children.

The swim programme does more – as sport often does – than just teach a physical skill. ‘We believe in the power of sport,’ says Thwaites. ‘It’s not just about teaching a child to swim.  Our swimming lessons help children with disabilities to develop confidence, self-esteem and resilience.  If we can give a child physical, social and emotional confidence through sport, we can change their trajectory in life.’

• Level Water is one of the Outdoor Swimming Society’s charity partners at both the Dart10k and the Swoosh in 2017, and they have fundraising slots available for both events this year. Email Colette@levelwater.org for more information.
• To contact Level Water about free lessons, please visit levelwater.org.