The Forum gets 5 Stars for Water Safety

The Forum in the NSW Hunter region has confirmed its position as a champion of water safety receiving a 5 Star Water Safety Partner status by the Royal Life Saving Society Australia (RLSSA).

The Forum, which has more than 15,000 members and one million visitors each year, underwent an intensive audit process and is now officially recognised by the RLSSA as a venue that has met compulsory stringent safety benchmarks relating to unstructured aquatic activity at the time of audit.

At the leading edge of The Forum's commitment to providing quality water safety services is its Swim Academy. The Academy has more than 900 children aged from just six months old registered each term in swimming programs that teach all stages of swimming from safety and survival to stroke correction, swim speed and fitness training.

NUsport Chief Executive, Chris Hicks, said that this important accreditation reflected The Forum's dedication to providing high-quality programs for the community, stating "becoming a 5 Star Water Safety Partner reflects the quality of our staff, the teaching and safety practices they employ through the various stages of our Swim Academy. It is also testament to the quality facilities at The Forum's Sports & Aquatic Centre at the University."

The accreditation identifies The Forum as demonstrating a strong commitment to aquatic safety standards, complying with 40 aquatic safety criteria in areas including general and technical pool operation, first aid, facility design, supervision, swimming programs and low patronage pools.

RLSSA encourages NSW schools and the community to look for and utilise swimming pools that have earned and display the '5 Star Water Safety Partner' logo. The Forum's Healthier Schools program in partnership with Hunter Water is well placed to grow with this further endorsement.

For further information Sally Roser, NUsport's Director Venues on 02 4921 7435, www.theforum.org.au

10th June 2009 - THE FORUM’S SUCCESS WITH OVER 40S AND THEIR PARTNERS