Your Leisure in Kent has signed a new partnership agreement with STA, which will see their swim school re-launch as an STA Swim Academy in January 2025 with the new 1-7 graded Learn to Swim Programme (LSP).

Your Leisure, which operates swimming lessons in East Kent, will also become the first leisure operator in the UK to go live with STA’s new graded LSP when they launch in the New Year. Reasons cited for the change include that the LSP is a modern, high quality learn to swim programme for teaching all the essential swimming skills and strokes; it offers a clear progressive pathway from grades 1 to 7, and is engaging with colourful motivational awards and resources.

Plus, with many of their young participants living on or by the coast, the teaching of water safety skills is of utmost importance at Your Leisure, and STA’s LSP uniquely embeds this into the syllabus from the beginning at grade 1.

The LSP will also support the retention of swimmers at Your Leisure. It introduces different aquatic skills throughout the programme with participants able to try competitive swimming, artistic swimming, water polo and junior lifesaving to help them decide how they would like to progress after grade 7 of the programme. This contributes to Your Leisure’s charitable aims of encouraging a healthy lifestyle through swimming, and its mission “To improve the health, wellbeing and lifestyle of everyone within our communities.”

Warren Reeves, Managing Director at Your Leisure, who is preparing for the launch and has worked closely with the STA, said: “This partnership with STA, a national governing body for swimming, is a fantastic opportunity for us, and we are very excited to be the first in the country to offer our customers an innovative new learn to swim programme. I am more than confident that this new approach to our swimming lesson programme will be a big benefit to young people within the community.”

Zoe Cooper, Commercial Director at STA, added: “We are delighted Your Leisure has recognised all the benefits LSP offers, and that they have embraced the opportunity to become an STA Swim Academy and the first to start delivering what is a modern, quality learn to swim scheme that is appealing to learners of all ages and abilities.”

To mark the launch, Warren Reeves and STAnley welcomed the Mayor of Margate, Cllr Jack Packman and Deputy Mayor Mrs Karen Brinkman to Hartsdown Leisure Centre and the Mayor and Mayoress of Ramsgate Cllr Pat Moore and Cllr Laurie Hudson.