Free summer swimming kicks off next week in RBWM water safety drive

Free swimming sessions for teenagers across the Royal Borough kick off next week as part of a major water safety campaign.

Leisure Focus, in partnership with RBWM and key stakeholders, has announced the return of its Safe Summer Swim initiative for 2025.

The programme offers free one-hour swim sessions during the summer holidays for teenagers aged 13 to 17 across the borough to improve water safety awareness and accessibility.

CEO of Leisure Focus, Mark Camp-Overy, said: “As an organisation rooted in community wellbeing, we are deeply committed to reducing preventable tragedies through education and opportunity.

“By offering free, safe swim sessions for teens, we’re helping to embed the water safety message, helping build water confidence so that all young people can have life-saving knowledge.”

Leisure Focus is leading its annual Advertiser-backed campaign to raise awareness of water safety and educate young people in the hope of saving lives.

In recent years, youngsters have lost their lives in the River Thames, the Jubilee River and other open water areas in East Berkshire and South Bucks.

Work during the campaign has included special assemblies for primary school pupils, banners placed at key sites across the Royal Borough and a hard-hitting water safety awareness video.

The Safe Summer Swim is the latest in a series of efforts to tackle the growing concern around drowning incidents in lakes and rivers, equipping young people with water safety knowledge in a fun and controlled environment.

It is funded by Leisure Focus Trust, Louis Baylis Trust, Shanly Homes, and the RBWM.

The campaign will run every weekday from Friday, July 25, to Friday, August 29.

Supervised swim sessions are a chance to practise swimming skills and support both physical wellbeing and long-term safety awareness, helping to prevent accidents before they happen.

This summer, the programme is expanding to include Newlands Girls’ School, alongside returning venues Windsor Leisure Centre and Braywick Leisure Centre.

Jatinder Singh Rakhra, sports inclusion and participation manager at Leisure Focus, added: “Expanding this initiative to include Newlands Girls’ School means we can reach even more young people across the borough.

“Our goal is to make swimming not only safe but something all teenagers can enjoy without barriers. Education, inclusion, and fun are at the heart of what we do.”

Bookings opened on Monday, July 14 via www.leisurefocus.org.uk, and walk-ins are welcome on the day but are subject to availability at the venue reception desks.

There are 40 spaces available per session, taking place from 10am to 11am at Braywick Leisure Centre, 12pm to 1pm at Newlands Leisure Centre and 2pm to 3pm at Windsor Leisure Centre.

Leisure Focus’ policy on swim ratios is being enforced to guarantee there is strict supervision to ‘ensure a safe and enjoyable experience for all participants’.