press release: Parkwood Leisure
Parkwood Leisure celebrates milestone of teaching 100,000 children to swim
22 Jun 2022
The programme aims to teach children to swim ‘Safer, Smarter, and Stronger’ / Parkwood Leisure
Based on the seven-stage national teaching syllabus devised by Swim England, Parkwood Leisure’s Learn To Swim Programme also incorporates dedicated safety outcomes endorsed by the Royal Life Saving Society (RLSS).
The programme aims to teach children to swim ‘Safer, Smarter, and Stronger’, with sites also encouraged to tailor their programming to educate children on specific local dangers and hazards. Parkwood Leisure operates 45 swimming pools across England and Wales.
With pools closed for extended periods as a result of COVID-19 restrictions, research by Swim England found that more than two million children missed out on swimming lessons. Since the reopening of facilities in April 2021, Parkwood Leisure has seen a 30% increase in children on its swim programme compared to pre-pandemic levels, with over 47,850 currently enrolled.
During this time, 285 new swim lesson instructors have been recruited in-line with customer demand, with more than 250 of these completing their Level 1 and Level 2 Swimming Teacher qualifications funded by Parkwood Leisure.
The success of the swim programme has been recognised by ukactive, who have named Parkwood Leisure as a finalist in the ‘Business Continuity, Recovery and Success following on from the COVID-19 Pandemic’ category at the upcoming ukactive Awards, with this year’s winners to be announced on 30th June.
Commenting on today’s announcement, Suzanne Gabb, Head of Aquatics at Parkwood Leisure, said: “To reach 100,000 learners is a fantastic achievement for our swim programme. What we offer at Parkwood is truly unique, and to know that we’ve been able to not only teach 100,000 children to swim, but also give them the broader knowledge, skills and understanding of the importance of water safety through our enhanced programme is something we are very proud of.”
This week also marks Drowning Prevention Week, an annual campaign led by the Royal Life Saving Society (RLSS) to raise awareness of the importance of water safety. The campaign is being promoted across Parkwood Leisure’s facilities.
For more information about Parkwood Leisure’s Learn To Swim Programme, click here.
For more information about Drowning Prevention Week, click here.
More press releases and updates from Parkwood Leisure:
The project, which has been running since November 2023 has reduced Hutton Moor Leisure
Centre’s electricity consumption by up to 60,000KWh and gas by 18,000KWh with total carbon
emission savings of over 60 tonnes per year.
Leading leisure operator, Parkwood Leisure, has reported a record-breaking January through
its campaigns committed to promoting physical activity and community engagement across the
country.
Leading leisure operator, Parkwood Leisure, has reported a record-breaking January through its
campaigns committed to promoting physical activity and community engagement across the country.
Leading leisure management operator Parkwood Leisure has completed significant upgrades to
its Cherwell contract, with over £700k of refurbishments at three prominent leisure sites
having taken place in December.
Parkwood Leisure has invested more than £1m over the past 12 months in new fitness equipment,
as part of the operator’s plans to upgrade its leisure centres and improve its offering to
members.
Parkwood Leisure: news from HCMmag.com and FitTechGlobal.com
Parkwood Leisure, in partnership with its subsidiary companies Legacy Leisure and Lex Leisure, has
launched two rehabilitation programmes across 24 leisure centres in England and Wales.
The Tarka Leisure Centre in North Devon, which reopened in June after a £15m revamp,
welcomed 33,800 visitors in August – up 43 per cent from the previous year. Participation in
July had increased by 33 per cent from the same month in 2021.
Parkwood Leisure
Tel: 01905 388500
Email: [email protected]
Address:
3 De Salis Ct,
Hampton Lovett,
Droitwich Spa,
Worcester,
Worcestershire,
WR9 0QE,
UK
Glen Hall, managing director
Key personnel
Glen Hall, managing director
Giles Rawlinson, commercial & finance director
Alex Godfrey, operations director
Andy Farr, strategic director
Graham Airey, IT director
Giles Rawlinson, commercial & finance director
Alex Godfrey, operations director
Andy Farr, strategic director
Graham Airey, IT director
Key customers
More than 30 local authorities and public sector partners across England and Wales including:
• The London Borough of Bexley,
• The London Borough of Lewisham,
• Boston,
• Cardiff City,
• Swansea,
• North Devon,
• Erewash,
• Vale of Glamorgan,
• Rushcliffe Borough,
• North Somerset,
• Bristol City,
• Nottinghamshire County,
• Cherwell,
• The Royal Parks, and
• Sport Wales.
• The London Borough of Bexley,
• The London Borough of Lewisham,
• Boston,
• Cardiff City,
• Swansea,
• North Devon,
• Erewash,
• Vale of Glamorgan,
• Rushcliffe Borough,
• North Somerset,
• Bristol City,
• Nottinghamshire County,
• Cherwell,
• The Royal Parks, and
• Sport Wales.
Plans for the next 12 months
Over the next 12 months, we will
continue to work with our partners to
increase physical activity, tackle health
inequality in the communities we serve
and make a measurable difference to
the quality of life of our customers.
Testimonial
“We have enjoyed a fantastic partnership with Parkwood Leisure for more than 10 years. They manage all of our leisure facilities including four leisure centres and Edwalton golf course, and the knowledge, expertise and experience they bring is first class. The slick operation they run, combined with innovative ways they’ve engaged local residents, mean we’ve never had a more physically active community and we’re excited to continue our partnership into the future.”
– David Banks, executive manager neighbourhoods, Rushcliffe Borough Council
– David Banks, executive manager neighbourhoods, Rushcliffe Borough Council
Search news, features & products:
Find a supplier:
