Young Swimmers in Aberdeen Make a Splash with Sporting Stars

Youngsters in Aberdeen had a once-in-a-lifetime chance to swim alongside Olympic and Paralympic champions during a landmark event celebrating the city’s contribution to a national learn-to-swim initiative.

The special session at Get active @ Northfield marked the start of Learn to Swim Month and recognised Sport Aberdeen’s achievement in being named 2024 Learn to Swim Provider of the Year.

More than 40 excited children took part in the poolside celebration, joined by decorated Olympian Duncan Scott and Paralympic medallist Toni Shaw – both official ambassadors for the Learn to Swim programme.

Now delivered by 38 leisure trusts and aquatic providers in 167 pools across Scotland, the Learn to Swim National Framework is a partnership between Scottish Swimming and Scottish Water,  designed to create "Generation Swim", a generation of confident, safer and competent swimmers.

The Provider of the Year title was awarded to Sport Aberdeen in recognition of its outstanding commitment to teaching water safety and swimming skills to children across the city. The quality of its additional support needs programmes, partnership working and strong club links were also highlighted.

“I know from experience how powerful swimming can be in shaping confidence, friendships and ambition and Learn to Swim continues to provide those opportunities.”

Toni Shaw
British Paralympic Swimmer

Pictured above, from left to right: Dianne Breen (Coached Programmes Manager - Sport Aberdeen), Graeme Dale (Director of Sport and Active Communities - Sport Aberdeen), Toni Shaw (Learn to Swim Ambassador and Paralympian - World and Commonwealth Champion), Duncan Scott (Learn to Swim Ambassador and Olympic - World and Commonwealth Champion), John Lunn (CEO - Scottish Swimming), Clare Smith (Head of Campaigns and Marketing - Scottish Water).

Duncan Scott said: “Getting in the pool with the young swimmers in Aberdeen has been a brilliant way to celebrate Learn to Swim. These sessions go way beyond technique, they’re about helping kids become safer, healthier and more confident in and around the water.

“It’s a real privilege to see the next generation enjoying their swimming journeys and to know that the programme is creating such a strong foundation for lifelong fitness and wellbeing.”

Local star Toni Shaw, who grew up swimming in Aberdeen and has gone on to win medals at World, European, and Paralympic level, added: “As someone who learned to swim in this city, it’s incredibly special to return to Aberdeen and see the enthusiasm these kids have.

“I know from experience how powerful swimming can be in shaping confidence, friendships and ambition and Learn to Swim continues to provide those opportunities.”

The celebration event coincides with Learn to Swim Month, a national initiative to raise awareness of the importance of learning to swim and the positive role it plays in promoting physical and mental wellbeing from a young age.

Sport Aberdeen currently supports more than 5,600 children each week through its Learn to Swim delivery, providing hundreds of lessons across the city to help youngsters develop key life-saving skills such as floating, stroke technique and water confidence.

Dianne Breen, Coached Programme Manager for Sport Aberdeen said: “We are incredibly proud to be part of this national programme, which continues to transform lives here in Aberdeen. Welcoming Duncan and Toni was a brilliant experience not just for the children, but also for our staff, who work tirelessly every week to ensure the highest standards of instruction and safety.

“We’ve seen first-hand how much confidence and joy swimming brings to young people and this event only strengthened that.”

Since its inception, the Learn to Swim Framework has already helped more than 210,000 children across Scotland to become more confident in the water. With ambitions to reach a further 50,000 children by 2028, the Framework continues to play a central role in tackling drowning prevention and encouraging active, healthy lifestyles.

Peter Farrer, Chief Operating Officer at Scottish Water, added: “An event like this is a great way to celebrate the good work that Sport Aberdeen is doing in their drive to encourage as many young people as possible into the pool - learning to swim is such an important safety skill.

“Our Learn to Swim providers and our ambassadors - Duncan and Toni – all play a vital role in continuing to inspire, develop and motivate people of all ages and abilities across the country to learn to swim. 

“Seeing the enthusiasm and progress of children in Aberdeen is proof that the Learn to Swim programme is making a real and lasting difference.”

John Lunn, CEO of Scottish Swimming, said: “It’s clear just how impactful the programme has been for communities across Scotland. Events like this highlight not only the energy and enthusiasm of our young swimmers but also the quality and dedication of local providers like Sport Aberdeen.

“Having Duncan and Toni as role models continues to inspire youngsters to stay active and safe in the water.”

Learn to Swim is a National Framework committed to creating supportive, inclusive and quality environments in which individuals can learn to swim regardless of their age, ability, or skill level. It aims to develop confident, safer and competent swimmers, as well as allowing people to enjoy the wider health, fitness and social benefits swimming can offer.

Around 84,000 children and adults across Scotland are celebrating learning to swim throughout September as part of Learn to Swim Month.  Swimming will take centre stage in September as local authorities, leisure trusts, and aquatic providers across Scotland coordinate a month of festivities centred around swimming to inspire people of all ages and abilities to become safer and confident swimmers. 

To find out more about the Learn to Swim programme, visit: https://www.scottishswimming.com/learn-to-swim.

For more on Sport Aberdeen’s swimming lessons, visit: https://www.sportaberdeen.co.uk/activities/swimming.