28 June 2010

Media Release

For immediate release

Splash into water safety with FREE Whanau Swim these holidays

Have fun and learn some essential swimming and water safety skills at the same time with Whanau Swim, starting on July 12 at Lagoon Leisure and Fitness, Panmure.

Drowning is one of the leading causes of unintentional injury and death for our children in New Zealand and there are still too many who have not had the opportunity to learn swimming and water safety skills or simply cannot afford paid tuition.

Whanau Swim runs from Monday 12 to Friday 16 July, offering five FREE lessons [one per day] in a warm, positive environment where families can learn some vital skills and gain confidence in and around water all while having lots of fun together.

One of the participation criteria is that a parent or caregiver is in the water with their child during each of the lessons and while this will be a new experience for many evaluation of previous programmes has highlighted its ability to provide parents with a wide range of skills abilities they can use to continue teaching their children.

Swimming and water safety may not be high on the radar for many at this time of year but the Whanau Swim partners urge families to take advantage of this opportunity for them all to learn some essential skills before summer.

Numbers are limited and enrolments can be made by calling the swim school directly - Y-Swim School, Lagoon Leisure and Fitness, Panmure, ph (09) 570 9061

Whanau Swim is a collaborative project between WaterSafe Auckland, Auckland City Communities Living Injury Free and Y-Swim School with support from the Southern Trust.

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