Parents are being encouraged to sign their children up for free sea swimming lessons being held in August.
Swim Safe, which teaches children about water safety in the sea, is returning to Tendring this summer.
School sessions have been taking place this month (June) in Harwich and Clacton, while public sessions are being held at Clacton’s Martello Beach between Monday, 7 and Friday, 11 August.
Swim Safe is a joint Swim England and RNLI initiative. In Tendring, sessions in Harwich are funded by Harwich Haven Authority with Clacton sessions funded by Tendring District Council (TDC). TDC swimming teachers instruct the sessions, with TDC Beach Patrol lifeguarding them.
Mick Barry, TDC Cabinet Member for Leisure and Public Realm, said the sessions were lots of fun – but could also save lives.
“Swim Safe teaches young children some key skills about going into the sea, such as floating to live, signalling for help, and generally respecting the water,” Councillor Barry said.
“They’re geared for all capabilities, whether the participants are swimmers or not, and we hope through supporting educational initiatives such as this we can help to make our coastline as safe as it can be – recognising the inherent dangers of the sea.
“Sessions take place in the morning, so why not book onto one as a great way to start a day out at the seaside.”
Find and book your Swim Safe session at www.swimsafe.org.uk.
Swim Safe has been supported by TDC every year since 2017, with the exception of 2020 due to the pandemic, as part of the wider education work carried out by the Tendring Water Safety Forum.
