Christchurch City Council encourages children’s swimming lessons ahead of summer

Christchurch City Council are encouraging parents to enrol their children in the Swimsmart programme to ensure they acquire the skills to stay safe in the water this summer.

Christchurch City Council Head of Recreation, Sports and Events Nigel Cox advises “Summer is just around the corner so it won’t be long before we start heading off to beaches, rivers, lakes and swimming pools.

“Before that happens, I would strongly recommend that parents of children who don’t know how to swim, or who feel unsure in the water, enrol them in our Swimsmart programme so they can gain the skills they need to be confident and safe in, and around, the water.

“With potentially fewer people heading away these school holidays, it is a great time to get the kids swimming lessons started.

Cox adds “we’re following the Ministry of Health, Sport NZ and the Worksafe guidelines for COVID-19 Alert Level 2 and have protocols in place to ensure children’s safety during the lessons.

“With a Swimsmart membership kids get a weekly lesson and unlimited access to our indoor and outdoor pools so it is a great way for them to build-up their skills. Once a child learns how to swim, it will be a skill they’ll have for life.

“When a child first enrols in Swimsmart, we do a five to 10-minute swim assessment with them so that we can gauge how confident they are in the water. That assessment helps us to place them in the correct class for their skill level.’’

*Anyone who buys a Swimsmart membership between now and 18th October will go into a draw to win a one-year Swimsmart membership. Existing Swimsmart members will automatically go into the draw.

To enrol in the Council’s Swimsmart programme, you need to have a Swimsmart membership. These can be purchased at the Jellie Park, Graham Condon, Pioneer and Taiora QEII recreation and sport centres. Community service cardholders can get a 25% discount on Swimsmart memberships.

The full Swimsmart programme starts on 28th September – the start of the spring school holidays.

Image courtesy of Christchurch City Council