Swim Success with Live Active Leisure

By Holly MacDonald 13th April 2016

We are delighted to be sponsoring the new Live Active Leisure Swim Success programme in what is believed to be the first of its kind in Scotland.

One of Live Active’s  big success stories of recent years is the ‘Top Up Swimming Lessons’ programme delivered in partnership with Active Schools. This Scottish Government funded scheme ran from 2010 until the end of 2015 and was set up to ensure all children would be able to swim a length by the end of primary school.

Between August 2012 and June 2014 Live Active Leisure delivered additional Top Up Swimming lessons out-with school hours to some 156 children and of these, 74 achieved the Scottish Swimming Triple S standard. 

Unfortunately, the programme fell prey to the austerity cuts and came to an end on December 31st 2015.  However, such has been the success of the programme across Perth and Kinross that Live Active Leisure has taken a unique approach towards the funding with a view to ensuring they can continue to support children and families who require additional help with the essential life skill of swimming.

Their newly launched Swim Success programme will allow Live Active Leisure to continue building on their progress in this area via private sponsorship from us!

We have funded the programme for the period between April 2016 to March 2017.   Some of you might know that we already have an association with Live Active Leisure via Julie’s work as a casual fitness instructor at Live Active Rodney so this was the perfect partnership for us.

Julie is really chuffed to be part of this great incentive, and she had this to say:

 “We are thrilled to be involved in such a forward thinking programme and as both business owners in the area and parents ourselves, we felt that this was a great opportunity to give something back to our customers and the people of Perth and Kinross.  I can’t wait to hear about the first success stories and look forward to supporting Live Active Leisure in highlighting the benefits of this programme.”

Gill McShea, Partnership and Funding Manager for Live Active Leisure commented,

“Julie is passionate about exercise and has become a proactive ambassador for the Swim Success programme as well as a funding partner.  We couldn’t have asked for a more fitting start for the launch of Swim Success and we are now in a position to commit to further supporting targeted primary school aged children who cannot swim 25 metres.  I am thrilled at this partnership."

The overall aim of the Swim Success programme is to help primary aged children achieve the Scottish Swimming Triple S Standard which ensures they are safe swimmers.  LAL will do this by providing an additional block of free swimming lessons out with school hours. As well as this, all participants will be given a Live Active Card, free swimming sessions for their family, information and advice.

Following the government’s cuts to the Top Up Swimming lessons throughout Scotland, Live Active Leisure is the only local area trust to commit to continuing with the aims of the programme, placing the children of Perth and Kinross in a unique and beneficial position.