Swimming is the most popular participation sport in Britain with one in five people taking regularly to the pool. Nevertheless, with many pools and swimming clubs closing plus the cost of hiring facilities and transporting pupils off site, many schools find difficulty in delivering this compulsory part of the National Curriculum.

This year, Southern Water celebrates the 20th year of our Learn to Swim scheme. During this time the scheme has taught more than 600,000 children to swim.

Here, qualified instructors teach the children, aged four to 12. At our annual instructors seminar, we give expert help via the Amateur Swimming Association, including keeping them up to date with modern training techniques. We provide swimming centres with the latest teaching equipment and each child receives a swimming bag and safety booklet. We also reward the children when they can swim with certificates and celebrate their triumphs at two special awards ceremonies each year.