There's a new swmming opportunity for local children after Baby Paddlers announced their takeover of Duckling Dives swim school. It now offers over 30 new baby, toddler and pre-school swimming classes a week in Winchester and Southampton.
Baby Paddlers is dedicated to teaching children from 0 – 5 years old to swim in a small, calm environment, and is proud to be part of the STA Star Swim Schools Programme. The school is well established in Devon, Dorset and the New Forest but Winchester-based owner and managing director Laura Skilton has been looking to expand in her home town for some time.
The new Winchester lessons will be offered in Norton Park, Sutton Scotney and in the lovely warm waters of hydrotherapy pools at Osborne school and Royal Hampshire County Hospital. In Southampton, classes will run in the Novotel Southampton Hotel. Laura's belief is that all children should be able to swim independently by the time they start school. "If a child is taught to swim in a nurturing and supportive environment," she says, "it can have a really positive impact on how they see the world."
"At Baby Paddlers we believe that teaching a child to swim isn't just about showing them how to float, breathe and move in the water. More importantly it's also about building their trust in the people teaching them, and their confidence in their own abilities"
As well as running the swimming school and being an STA qualified children's swimming teacher, Laura is a mum of two and chair of the Winchester NCT branch.
Winchester MP Steve Brine, who himself has two young children, welcome the new service; "I've known Laura through the NCT for a while now and she's a really dynamic person. As parents we know how vital it is our two learn to swim at an early age but do so in a way that's heaps of fun. I know Laura's new venture will do just that and wish it all the best."
Baby Paddlers is already taking bookings for the next term in Winchester and, although filling up fast, there are still spaces available in all classes.
More information ...
Go to www.babypaddlers.co.uk for more details and to book.
Click here for more information on the STA Star Swim Programme