Likkle Swimmers, a swimming charity based near Tunbridge Wells in Kent (UK) which aims to help children learn to swim for free in Jamaica this summer, has received much-needed support from STA UK, the founding member of IFSTA and national charity dedicated to the teaching of swimming and water safety.
Local STA swimming tutors and leisure centres in Risebridge and Sevenoaks have also got involved and agreed to lend their support to Likkle Swimmers.
Likkle Swimmers was set up by Charlotte Holt, Stacey Symes and Keith Holt with the aim of providing free swimming lessons to children aged 3–9 years in Treasure Beach, an impoverished coastal community in Jamaica that currently has no access to a public pool or swimming lessons, resulting in multiple incidents of drowning.
To facilitate this, ready for the launch of the swimming programme, the three Likkle Swimmers founders needed formal swimming teaching training and approached STA UK for help.
STA UK, whose charitable objective is “The preservation of human life by the teaching of swimming, lifesaving and survival techniques,” responded by working with local swimming tutors and training venues to set up the free swimming teacher course for Likkle Swimmers. The newly qualified teachers then travelled to Jamaica to provide swimming lessons and water safety education to the young learners in Treasure Beach.
Charlotte Holt from Likkle Swimmers said: Swimming is a skill that so few Jamaicans have, and we hope to decrease the incidents of drowning in this community. With the help of STA, this has been made possible, due to the generous support given to fund our training. This enables us to become qualified swimming instructors, meaning that the children will benefit enormously from this support.
STA UK said: Likkle Swimmers is a fantastic charity who is creating life-changing opportunities for children in Treasure Beach by teaching them how to swim and be safe around water. As a charity, we were more than happy to assist. Special thanks must also be given to our own STA tutors Penny, Camilla and Lee, who kindly agreed to organise the courses for them.
