Four-time Olympic medallist Rebecca Adlington OBE was in Thornaby on Sunday (September 18) to teach some lucky children the basics of swimming.
Becky Adlington’s SwimStars is a programme for children to get swimming with a helping hand of one of England’s most loved athletes.
The two-time Olympic champion swimmer was cheering on junior hopefuls aged 3-11 today (Sunday, September 18) at Total Fitness Teesside.
The free taster sessions throughout the day were organised to teach and inspire the next generation.
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From 1pm to 4pm, Rebecca was poolside and interacting with those in attendance, with little ones encouraged to don their swimwear and join in for a lesson in the modern, state-of-the-art pool.
The centre provides an opportunity for children on Teesside and the surrounding areas to learn a life skill in swimming, as well as other transferable skills which can help in all aspects of a child’s development, such as confidence, determination, resilience, and social skills.
The programme has an emphasis on learning to swim ‘The Becky Way’, meaning fun is always at the forefront.
Becky Adlington's SwimStars had been running at Total Fitness long before the pandemic, and now that life is returning to normal, the sessions on Teesside are resuming.
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Rebecca told The Northern Echo before Sunday: “I’m so happy these events are back. Since Covid we haven’t been able to do them as much but luckily we’re back on track now. I’m really looking forward to meeting the kids and having a fun day.
“Learning to swim is an important life skill but it should be fun so the emphasis is definitely on that.
“Children often have a fear of water at first and we don’t push children before their ready, if they just want to watch the first time then that’s fine, it sometimes takes some children a few sessions to feel comfortable getting in the water. This is a low-stress way of learning.”
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