Swimshop Giveaway

When I was little, I had swimming lessons. My parents insisted that we all go to the local swimming pool and work our way through their lesson programme – first earning our 5 metre swim badge, then moving up to 10 metres, 25 metres, 50 metres, and right up to the one where you have to jump in wearing pyjamas, then take them off. I didn’t like it much, especially the jumping in part.

When I went to middle school at the age of 9, there was a 25-metre pool on the grounds, which the PE department delighted in forcing us into, in what felt like sub-zero conditions. Outdoor pools that are heated by solar panels don’t get very warm in this country. I remember being really surprised that out of a class of 30, fewer than half of us were able to swim well. I had thought all children were dragged to the local pool once a week!

As it happens, 57% of children aged 7-11 don’t know how to swim. I find that pretty scary, to be honest. Especially since these days, the National Curriculum requires schools to teach children to swim 25 metres confidently and using a range of strokes – so that they can swim to safety should the need arise.

swimshop giveaway

Swimshop has offered two sets of arm bands and swimming float for a giveaway on my blog, as a part of their “Save A Live, Learn To Swim” campaign.

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Vicky Charles

Vicky is a single mother, writer and card reader.

57 Comments

Tracy Nixon · 26/06/2015 at 11:57

I learned while at primary school. I remember we used to get the coach to the local pool once a week and my swimming teacher was called Mr Hook. I was scared of him so it put me off wanting to learn to swim. I think I learned when swimming wit my parents on holidays abroad.

    Vicky Charles · 26/06/2015 at 13:20

    Thanks Tracy, I think a good teacher makes all the difference doesn’t it!

Michelle Banks · 26/06/2015 at 13:19

it took me a while to learn to swim, but once i did i love it! teaching my grandaughter now!

Sarah Archibald · 26/06/2015 at 13:38

Oh I hated it. I got so worked up over jumping in I was physically sick, the teacher refused to let me use the stairs, so my mum eventually had to stop me going to lessons. I have my own child now, she’s 3 and loves the pool. we’re teaching her ourselves but she’s fearless, loves jumping in. No holding back at all luckily! :)

    Vicky Charles · 26/06/2015 at 20:38

    Oh, Sarah! I hated jumping in too, they kept putting me back a class because I wouldn’t jump in, until I was noticeably taller than all the other kids in my class. S is fearless too and I’m trying really hard not to pass on my fear of jumping in!

ashleigh allan · 26/06/2015 at 13:40

I remember lots of swimming lessons!

Thismummylark · 26/06/2015 at 18:04

I’ve just started to take my little bot he seems to enjoy it.

Angela Turley · 27/06/2015 at 06:15

I was really lucky as I learnt to swim REALLY young as all my family were swimmers & my brother and me swam competitively, my daughter is just 3 and can swim – I think it’s really important but think it has to be done gently and without expectations, I don’t care if my daughter never gets the strokes right as long as she can get herself to the side of a pool & to safety!

laura stewart · 27/06/2015 at 09:10

my dad use to take me when i was really young

Mummy Fever · 27/06/2015 at 10:58

My dad taught me. He took me every Sunday morning and when he wanted me to swim a width he said he’d buy me a My Little Pony if I swam across – I swam there and back and told him I needed two my little ponies !

    Vicky Charles · 27/06/2015 at 12:18

    haha love it!

lynn heath · 27/06/2015 at 16:08

When we were kids we went to swimming lessons at the local pool, I cant really remember much about it, but now my kids have swimming lessons every Saturday and they love it!

Pamela Risk · 27/06/2015 at 17:59

In all honesty i don’t remember much except i learned when i was at primary school. My granddaughter is 16 months & loves swimming,we take her every Friday morning, she is the reason i’m entering.Thank you.

claire woods · 28/06/2015 at 09:11

Learnt to swim at school.

Elizabeth Hinds · 29/06/2015 at 06:48

I learnt as a child and I loved it! There was the odd incident when I got a bit out of my depth (literally!) and had a bit of a scare but in general I always took to swimming quite naturally. Hope my daughters do too! :)

caroline walliss · 29/06/2015 at 07:06

My swim coach was amazing and had very little problems.x

Siobhan Davis · 29/06/2015 at 08:18

Great giveaway :) Would love the Shark float for my son on Holiday x

jodie crossley · 29/06/2015 at 09:41

i was always terrified only just started to enjoy swimming as an adult!

Zoe G · 29/06/2015 at 11:44

Mine was awful, I hated it, we rarely went at school which put me off, now I take both my children for lessons so they don’t feel like that with swimming

aaron broad · 29/06/2015 at 13:08

I used to have swimming lessons twice a week once I was younger, hated them :(

    Vicky Charles · 29/06/2015 at 15:37

    Oh dear Aaron. I hope you still managed to learn to swim though.

Stacey C · 29/06/2015 at 15:53

I taught myself to swim after desperately watching my older brother swimming in the deep end all the time & wanting to join him :) xx

    Vicky Charles · 30/06/2015 at 21:53

    oh wow, really? That’s determination!

Lisa Everaert · 29/06/2015 at 20:49

My Dad would take me to our local swimming pool every night for a few weeks (unsure how long) until i managed to get the hang of it. First with armbands, then with float and then all by myself.

Lynsey Buchanan · 29/06/2015 at 20:52

I am not very good at swimming I have a fear of water

Kelly L · 01/07/2015 at 23:02

I remember learning at school!

Tammy Tudor · 01/07/2015 at 23:22

I learned in primary school I remember being one of the last of all my friends to go in the ‘big pool’ I got there in the end :)

Mama, My Kid Doesn't Poop Rainbows · 02/07/2015 at 02:39

I had swimming lessons as a kid- loved them and it’s made me a really confident swimmer as an adult. We’ve been taking our tot to lessons since he was 6 months old. It’s really important when we live in a hot country where lots of people have pools.

Sadie · 02/07/2015 at 16:38

I nearly drowned aged 3 and was then scared of water for years, until a holiday in Portugal aged 7 where my grandad taught me to swim, once I could swim I didn’t stop and ended up competing nationally as a swimmer – now I don’t put pressure on my kids to learn to swim, I just want them to be happy and confident in the water, the swimming will come in there time x x

    Vicky Charles · 03/07/2015 at 18:46

    oh wow Sadie, what a thing to overcome!

esther james · 02/07/2015 at 20:39

I’m not a great swimmer- I never had lessons, except for in school

Rich Tyler · 03/07/2015 at 13:13

Remember 1st schools outside swimming pool – BrrrRRR!

    Vicky Charles · 03/07/2015 at 18:43

    Ouch! Outside pools were killer! And they always had bugs and odd things floating in them!

Sara JaneG · 04/07/2015 at 15:38

My son has just started lessons, he loves them

MichelleD · 07/07/2015 at 09:25

I learnt to swim in the sea in Greece when I was about 5!

Miss Janet Carter · 07/07/2015 at 14:03

I learnt to swim when I was 5.Hated it then but love it now.It’s a great form of exercise and fun too.

Becca Staples · 07/07/2015 at 14:31

Not a good experience for me, was always too scared. Although i’m making sure my twin boys don’t follow in my footsteps x

    Vicky Charles · 07/07/2015 at 17:47

    I was always scared too Becca, I wouldn’t jump in and they kept putting me back a class!

Eve Burke · 07/07/2015 at 22:16

I don’t remember my own experience but have a 4 year old that I signed up for lessons when he was 3. Way to young. He didn’t even get his foot wet. A man behind me was cracking up and said “I wonder who’s kid that it?” I was like – “Helllooooo – he is mine”. He has just started a crash course in swimming with his school – he is behind the rest of his class (he is the youngest) but I am sure with an extra bit of help and encouragement – he will be a star.

    Vicky Charles · 08/07/2015 at 16:51

    Oh that’s interesting Eve, I was wondering whether to put my daughter in for classes but she’s only 3 – perhaps she’s too young then.

Sharon Mclauchlan · 07/07/2015 at 22:22

i learned to swim when i was ten and decided to teach my children young as believe it an important life skill. My oldest swam at age 3 she is now 9 and is swimming in a swim team and winning medals. My youngest is 5 months and we have been few times already.

    Vicky Charles · 08/07/2015 at 16:50

    That’s fantastic Sharon, I think you’re right – it is important.

kim neville · 08/07/2015 at 18:30

Remember going to swimming lessons with my sister and we loved to practise and try things out

Kat Allinson · 08/07/2015 at 21:51

I had an awful time learning to swim, as a young child I got repeatedly thrown into the pool by an adult and I have to admit I am still not very confident in the water.

    Vicky Charles · 09/07/2015 at 07:58

    Oh my gosh Kat, that’s an awful way to teach someone to swim! It’s no wonder you’re not confident in the water.

Ema J Lowe · 08/07/2015 at 23:15

I was about 6/7 when my dad used to take me to swimming lessons. Our 4 year old is needing to learn without her wings, but not sure she will go in the pool without me, if I book her lessons.

Emma Fox · 09/07/2015 at 11:51

I learnt to swim at the end of Primary school which is far to late given there is lots of water where I lived as a child. Therefore my son is already learning to swim.

Tina Holmes · 09/07/2015 at 13:40

My mom started me young and I always loved swimming.

Natalie Crossan · 09/07/2015 at 14:24

I was a slow learner due to a bad experience aged 2 xx

Leanne Bell · 09/07/2015 at 17:21

My 5 year old has been having swimming lessons since she was 3 x

olivia Kirby · 09/07/2015 at 19:44

I can’t remember anything about learning to swim but I know that I got all my badges so don’t think it was too difficult!

Katie · 09/07/2015 at 20:44

I LOVED learning to swim! I was the first in my group to get to 10 metres. I had a great swimming teacher and learnt at the local leisure centre but then when I went to school I had a really crap teacher and the pool we swam in was always freezing and pretty run down so I lost interest and was put off. Recently on holiday I did some swimming and remembered how much I enjoyed it, I’d love to start going a couple times a month.

Vickie Jackson · 09/07/2015 at 20:49

I learnt to swim at first school but couldn’t quite get it. Once I moved to middle school that was it, it clicked and I loved it :)

Julieanne Seaman · 09/07/2015 at 21:43

I learnt to swim at my primary school but we had the strictest coach imaginable so every so often on Wednesday before lunch I would ‘get a migraine’ and have to go home, however the lessons I did I still learnt to swim.

jessica newman · 09/07/2015 at 21:49

I have never been a strong swimmer and found lessons hard when i was young, but i love swimming now for fitness

Em S · 09/07/2015 at 23:05

I was 14 and it was embarassing

Ellie Spider · 10/07/2015 at 00:06

I actually dont remember learning to swim – my parents took me swimming from when I was a baby and I have always been able to swim as far as I can remember.

However, I do remember the torture that was swimming lessons in high school (my school had it’s own swimming pool) boys and girls had swimming lessons separately but if you were unfortunate enough to have PE near the lunch time EVERYONE would see you in your swim suit – not something any teenage girl really wants :(

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