Thousands More Children to Benefit from Free Swim Safe Sessions This Summer

This year, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) and Swim England have partnered with the Royal Yachting Association (RYA) to expand their free Swim Safe programme. An additional 30,000 spaces have been added, offering crucial water safety training to more children.

Lifesaving Skills for Children

The Swim Safe sessions, designed for 7 to 14-year-olds, teach essential skills to stay safe in and around open water. Since its inception in 2013, more than 175,000 children have participated in the programme. The importance of these sessions is underscored by last summer’s statistics: RNLI lifeguards saved the lives of 34 children and teenagers aged 7 to 14 and assisted another 7,777.

James Woodhouse, from the RNLI’s Water Safety team, emphasised the significance of early education in water safety, saying, “Statistics show that children and teenagers accounted for over half of those needing assistance by RNLI lifeguards on our beaches in the summer months last year. By educating them about water safety through the Swim Safe programme from a young age, together we can help reduce the number of incidents involving open water.”

Partnership with the RYA

The RYA, the UK’s national governing body for sailing, powerboating, and windsurfing, is contributing to the Swim Safe initiative by offering sessions at 15 of its activity centres. These additional sessions, part of the RYA’s OnBoard programme, will cater to an extra 30,000 children, supplementing the 18,000 places already available through other outdoor activity centres.

Ashley Jones, Water Safety and Drowning Prevention Manager for Swim England, expressed excitement about the collaboration: “We’re pleased to welcome the RYA onboard and their offer of delivering Swim Safe as part of their water-based activities. It is great to know that many more children will learn vital lifesaving skills as part of their booked courses through the RYA.”

Real-Life Impact of Swim Safe

The effectiveness of the Swim Safe programme was demonstrated last August off the coast of Pembrey, South Wales. Nine-year-old Dexter was saved by using the Float technique after finding himself in difficulty. A passer-by, 12-year-old Theo, whose family is part of the local RNLI lifeboat crew, instructed Dexter to float on his back and stay calm until help arrived. Dexter was successfully rescued by the Burry Port RNLI.

James Woodhouse highlighted the value of peer-to-peer learning: “It’s great to see children sharing our Float advice and helping save lives.”

Key Water Safety Advice

The RNLI’s key water safety advice for 7-14-year-olds includes:

• Stop and think: Always swim in a safe place.
• Stay together: Always swim with an adult, younger children should always be within arm’s reach.
• Float to Live: Tilt your head back with ears submerged, try to relax and control your breathing, use your hands to stay afloat, and then call for help or swim to safety if possible.
• Emergency: Call 999 and ask for the Coastguard.

How to Participate

To find out more and book a free Swim Safe place for your child, visit swimsafe.org.uk. Swim England and the RNLI work closely with local partners, including water sports activity centres and RYA centres, to facilitate these sessions with trained instructors.

This summer, more children than ever will have the opportunity to gain life-saving skills, thanks to the expanded Swim Safe programme.

Learn How To Teach Your Child To Float