Children living in and around Stockport will be able to attend free public swims and water safety lessons throughout August thanks to a community initiative from Life Leisure.
The charitable trust and not-for-profit social enterprise company will be holding weekly free public swim sessions across five of its swimming pools.
Led by Stockport Metro swimming teachers, the sessions will be preceded by or include a dedicated 30 minute water safety lesson designed to show children how to stay safe around water this summer and what to do in an emergency.
The free swimming sessions, open to children aged 15 and under on a first-come-first-served basis, will run at the following Life Leisure pools, from Monday, August 7, for four weeks:
| Life Leisure Pool | Day | Times |
| Hazel Grove | Monday | Public swim 12pm-6.45pm
Water safety lesson 11.30am-12pm |
| Cheadle | Tuesday | Public swim 1.45pm-6.15pm
Water safety lesson 1.30pm-2pm |
| Avondale | Wednesday | Public swim 9am-1pm
Water safety lesson 10.50am-11.20am |
| Romiley | Thursday | Public swim 9am-12pm
Water safety lesson 11am-11.30am |
| Grand Central | Friday | Public swim 10.15am-1.30pm
Water safety lesson 12pm-12.30pm |
Life Leisure has launched the initiative in support of Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue’s (GMFRS) Safe4Summer campaigning around water safety and the dangers of swimming in rivers and reservoirs.
Safe4Summer is a multi-agency campaign that delivers information and advice to help people, young people in particular, stay safe and out of trouble during the school holidays.
Lesley Allen, GMFRS’ Other Emergencies Co-ordinator, said: “It is so important that young people learn the dos and don’ts of water safety. Our teams do a great job and work very hard to reach people in distress, but what we really want to do is help people avoid getting into trouble in the first place.
“Initiatives such as this are great because they celebrate and encourage swimming in the right conditions, but also inform and help make sure safety stays front of mind.”
Julie Bennett, Life Leisure’s Swimming Development Manager, added: “Thousands of young people use our pools and learn to swim with us every year, and we take that responsibility very seriously.
“Water safety is such an incredibly important area for young people to learn about and we wholeheartedly support the campaigning done by Greater Manchester Fire & Rescue.
“We hope these free sessions will help raise awareness of an important issue and encourage young people to swim responsibly this summer, while also being a whole lot of fun for those who take part.”