Meet the 2025 STA Water Safety Squad
Following a nationwide search over the summer, STA has chosen 5 amazingly diverse young people to be a part of our 2025 STA Water Safety Squad, which is being sponsored by Zoggs and supported by Waterworld.
The theme for 2025, the year we celebrate the 10th anniversary of International Learn to Swim Week (ILSW) is to showcase how learning to swim is inclusive, and opens the door of opportunity to a lifelong enjoyment of the water – whether that be for fun, leisure, work or even potential Olympic success.
Jodie Davis, STA’s Aquatics Qualification Development Officer, said: “Each one of our squad members have shared their own reasons for wanting to be part of the Water Safety Squad, but the one thing they all have in common is their love for swimming and a passion for wanting to help and teach others about the importance of how to #LoveWaterSafely, which will make them great ambassadors for STA in 2025.”
Let’s meet the SQUAD!
Aaliyah Pollitt
Aged 7, Bolton
Aaliyah Pollitt is our youngest squad member; she turns 7 in January, and has a strong passion for swimming. Aaliya loves her weekly swimming lessons and puts her absolute all into every session. Her mum said she would go swimming every day if she could – she loves it! With this enthusiasm, and her infectious, bubbly personality, Aaliyah will be a stand out role model for all children currently learning to swim; using her influence and sharing her own story, to promote why learning to swimming is not only important, but fun for everyone.
Addison Cropper
Aged 11, Leeds
Addison Cropper, aged 11 from Leeds, is the fastest 200m Butterfly swimmer & 400M Individual Medley swimmer in Britain. She is 9 times Yorkshire Champion and 3 times North East Champion 2024. She is also a keen lifesaver. Addison is a great advocate for encouraging children to swim, and despite facing adversary herself when she badly broke her leg at a swimming pool when she was little, she believes you can be the best version of you and achieve greatness. This also makes Addison a great role model for young girls in sport who swim and life save, as seen on her Instagram page where she shares positive messages to empower others. Also timely with charity Women in Sport revealing for their annual #TimeTogether campaign, which runs during October half-term, that 1.3 million girls in the UK, who once enjoyed sport in primary school, drop out during their teenage years.
Ben Render-Matthias
Aged 10, Oxfordshire
Ben Render-Matthias, aged 10, has grown up knowing the importance of swimming, supporting his parents who run a swim school in Oxfordshire. Ben loves to get involved in helping to run the swim school – from testing the pool water to checking the equipment and helping the swimmers. With this commitment, Ben will make a great swimming teacher one day for sure. His mum, Sam, said: “Ben has Autism and represents SEN swimmers by always giving his best and thinking of others. He has swum in Swimathons over the last few years raising money for local charities.” With Ben’s enthusiasm for swimming and water safety, and being a positive role model for SEN swimmers, we know he will make a fantastic member of our Water Safety Squad in 2025.
Jack Higginson
Aged 11, Warrington
Jack Higginson, aged 11 from Warrington, was nominated by his swimming teacher, who said his passion for swimming and the water shines through in everything that he does. What stood out, and what will make Jack a great member of the Water Safety Squad is his friendly, caring nature, and how he helps everyone in his class – he even gets to his lesson early so he can help out with the younger children in the class prior. This caring, supportive nature also extends to participating in charity work, making and crafting things by hand to raise money for others in need. Jack’s passion for helping others will make him a fantastic, friendly and lovable ambassador for swimming and water safety.
Seb Reeve
Aged 9, Shropshire
Seb Reeve, from Shropshire, is a phenomenally talented 9-year-old and as a National Age Group medallist in Artistic Swimming and a National level Gymnast, he is an inspiration for boys who want to take part in Artistic Swimming. Seb started swimming at a very early age and by the time he was 7 years old he had completed all the levels within the International Learn to Swim Programme. He didn’t want to join a swimming club so undertook the STA / Aquabatix Artistic Swimming programme and instantly fell in love with this aquatic activity as it combined his love for gymnastics with the water. Two years on, Seb is now training with Birmingham Artistic Swimming Club and has attained all three grades necessary to compete at National level. He was the youngest competitor to qualify and medal.
The five members of the STA Water Safety Squad will all meet for the first time in November at Waterworld in Stoke-on-Trent, where they will receive their special Zoggs goody bag, and have their stories captured on camera in preparation for the 10th anniversary of International Learn to Swim Week in 2025.
- Categories
- Association News
