Champion Swimmer Adam Whitehead Launches Make a Splash in Lewisham

Wednesday 05 October 2011 at 08:52

Lewisham children are being taught to swim this autumn in an innovative portable pool at Brindishe Green School.

 

The pool got the seal of approval today from Commonwealth and European swimming champion Adam Whitehead.

 

Whitehead said: “Swimming is an important life skill that all children should learn, and it’s fantastic that PlaySport London Make a Splash is working with Brindishe Schools and Lewisham Council to offer free school swimming lessons.”

 

“I also want to encourage as many people as possible from the local community to take advantage of this excellent temporary pool while it’s here.”

 

Adam officially launched the pool with the help of Sir Steve Bullock, Mayor of Lewisham and Kate Hoey MP, the Mayor of London's Commissioner for Sport, together with a group of Brindishe School children.

 

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: "With less than a year to go till the Olympic and Paralympic Games, it is vital that Londoner's of all ages, backgrounds and abilities take advantage of our groundbreaking Make a Splash programme. This brilliant scheme will ensure a lasting Olympic legacy by bringing first-rate facilities into the heart of the communities that need them the most. Now a fantastic new Mobile Pool has come to Lewisham, I encourage the whole community to jump in the water and get active for 2012!"

 

Make a Splash is part of the the Mayor's Sports Legacy Programme that focuses on increasing participation in sport and physical activities, and uses sport to tackle social issues. Make a Splash is a groundbreaking project that will bring temporary pools into boroughs across London between 2011 and 2013. The aim is to get thousands more of the capital’s residents swimming in the run up to, and beyond, the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

 

The programme in Lewisham is aiming to teach as many local children to swim as possible, and will deliver hundreds of lessons over the three month period. It is hoped that this will help local children achieve the National Curriculum target of learning to swim 25m unaided by the time they leave primary school.

 

One in five children in England leaves primary school without being able to swim, and this statistic can rise to four in five in communities with limited access to a pool.

 

Vicki Paterson, Executive Headteacher of Brindishe and Lee Manor Schools said: ‘Learning to swim has so many benefits including safety, fitness and fun.  Having this mobile swimming pool here is a great opportunity for the children of this school, Pendragon school and the general local community.  What’s more, to top it all off, today some of the Brindishe primary children will have the once in a lifetime chance to swim with a champion.

 

The 12m by 6m heated pool, which was built by Total Swimming, has been open since 5 September. It will remain on site until 25th November 2011 and is open to the wider community in the evenings and Saturday mornings.

 

For details of the Make a Splash Community Programme at Brindishe Green school, click here.