June 16th – 22nd

Youngsters across the UK will be learning all about keeping safe in and around open water as part of a national campaign later this month. STAnley’s Water Safety Tour will take place June 16th- 22nd.

STA Swim Academies will be visiting schools in their area during the week of June 16 as part of a major safety campaign by STA.

Joining them on the trail will be STAnley the Seal, STA’s friendly and popular water safety mascot, who will be working with youngsters and telling them how they can keep themselves safe in the water this summer.

Theo Millward, STA Operations Director, said with the long summer break coming up, children are likely to go on holiday, where there are pools and beaches, visit rivers and canals, or enjoy a trip to the local swimming pool.

However, it is important that they remember how to keep safe in and around water, he says.

“Summer holidays are always an exciting time, whether you are going on holiday or not, but it’s so important that children remember the rules about keeping safe by water,” he explained.

“We hope by going into schools and talking to pupils, the message will be fresh in their minds when they break up for the six weeks and begin to enjoy themselves at the beach, by the pool or by any open water.”

The UK Swim Academies will be leading assemblies and taking part in fun classroom activities throughout the week with children aged from 5 to 11 using specially created lesson plans created by STA.

All the children will be given STAnley water safety activity sheets and have the chance to take part in a competition to write a poem about water safety.

Zofia Houlston, of STA, said working directly with youngsters was an important part of its safety campaigning programmes.

The STA swim academies taking part this year include Lancashire; Kilmarnock, Scotland; Seven Oaks, Kent; and South Staffordshire.

“Learning to swim is an incredibly important life skill but just as vital is learning how to behave safely around water to keep out of harm’s way,” said Zofia.

“These school workshops and fun activities are a great way of getting the message across to the children and we are delighted that our STA Academies have taken part in the safety week campaign.”