Posted on:
18 September 2025
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Top Swim Providers Shortlisted for National Award
18 September 2025
Three leisure providers have been shortlisted for a prestigious national award recognising their outstanding efforts to teach thousands of young people and adults to swim.
The finalists for the Scottish Water Learn to Swim Provider of the Year are Active Stirling, Edinburgh Leisure and East Renfrewshire Culture and Leisure.
The finalists for the Scottish Water Learn to Swim Provider of the Year are Active Stirling, Edinburgh Leisure and East Renfrewshire Culture and Leisure.
Learn to Swim Award
Our Learn to Swim Award recognises the outstanding efforts of leisure trusts and aquatic providers in creating and delivering high-quality swimming programmes that provide essential life-saving skills to help individuals be safer in and around water.<br>
The award celebrates the local authorities, leisure trusts and aquatic providers who are delivering the Learn to Swim National Framework across Scotland - a partnership between Scottish Water and Scottish Swimming- with the vision to create ‘Generation Swim’, a generation of confident, safer and competent swimmers, who will also get to experience the wider health and social benefits that swimming can offer.
It, recognises the outstanding efforts of leisure trusts and aquatic providers in creating and delivering high-quality swimming programmes that provide essential life-saving skills to help individuals be safer in and around water.
Each organisation has demonstrated a unique and impactful approach to engaging families in swimming, while collectively contributing to a national movement helping around 84,000 people learn to swim each week.
This year’s finalists have shown a shared passion for learning to swim while delivering tailored programmes suited to the needs of their local communities.
Peter Farrer, Chief Operating Officer at Scottish Water, added: “We’re proud to support Learn to Swim – and the Learn to Swim Provider of the Year award gives us a chance to spotlight the incredible efforts being made across Scotland. These finalists show how swimming lessons can be inclusive, empowering and make a really positive difference.
“Swimming is a hugely valuable life skill which helps people of all ages and abilities to be safer in and around water, and the fantastic work of these leisure providers is ensuring we create a generation of confident, safer swimmers.”
John Lunn, CEO of Scottish Swimming, said: “These organisations have each gone above and beyond to deliver life-saving lessons in accessible and empowering ways.
“Their innovative and inclusive approaches show what’s possible when providers listen to families, engage with communities and adapt to meet the needs of every swimmer. They are role models for the sector and are helping to deliver real progress towards Generation Swim.”
In Stirling, Active Stirling has been recognised for its strong focus on inclusion and continuous improvement in its strategy to teach more than 2,199 swimmers.
The provider has developed an online video library of stroke demonstrations to help swimmers practise at home, while also investing in year-round contracts, expanded training opportunities and mentoring for teachers to ensure consistently high-quality lessons.
Meanwhile, East Renfrewshire Culture and Leisure is being celebrated for its family-first ethos and record-high lesson participation figures, with more than 1,800 pupils now enrolled in lessons.
The team also developed a unique intervention process to support children who are not progressing through levels as expected, ensuring that each swimmer has a clear and personalised development plan. It also runs female-only classes delivered by female instructors to meet cultural needs and promote body confidence.
In Edinburgh, more than 7,991 participants are benefitting from lessons delivered across eight Edinburgh Leisure pools and two school pools - a 9.12% increase from the previous year, marking a return to pre-COVID capacity. The organisation was recognised for its commitment to maintaining high standards across its facilities and developing coaching staff who can deliver consistent, high-quality instruction.
The winner of the Scottish Water Learn to Swim Provider of the Year award will be announced at the Scottish Swimming Annual Awards on 20th September 2025 at Marriott Hotel in Glasgow, recognising the achievements of Scotland’s top programme providers.
The winner will receive an exclusive poolside visit from the Learn to Swim Framework ambassadors - Olympic, World & Commonwealth Champion Duncan Scott and Paralympian and World Champion Toni Shaw.
Learn to Swim is a National Framework creating inclusive environments where individuals of all ages and abilities can learn to swim. It develops confident, competent swimmers while promoting healthy, active lifestyles. Around 84,000 children and adults participate in lessons weekly across Scotland.
Safety in and around water is central to the Framework. Swimming provides essential life skills to help people stay safer whether at local pools, beaches, or around Scotland's coastline, rivers, reservoirs and lochs.
It, recognises the outstanding efforts of leisure trusts and aquatic providers in creating and delivering high-quality swimming programmes that provide essential life-saving skills to help individuals be safer in and around water.
Each organisation has demonstrated a unique and impactful approach to engaging families in swimming, while collectively contributing to a national movement helping around 84,000 people learn to swim each week.
This year’s finalists have shown a shared passion for learning to swim while delivering tailored programmes suited to the needs of their local communities.
Peter Farrer, Chief Operating Officer at Scottish Water, added: “We’re proud to support Learn to Swim – and the Learn to Swim Provider of the Year award gives us a chance to spotlight the incredible efforts being made across Scotland. These finalists show how swimming lessons can be inclusive, empowering and make a really positive difference.
“Swimming is a hugely valuable life skill which helps people of all ages and abilities to be safer in and around water, and the fantastic work of these leisure providers is ensuring we create a generation of confident, safer swimmers.”
John Lunn, CEO of Scottish Swimming, said: “These organisations have each gone above and beyond to deliver life-saving lessons in accessible and empowering ways.
“Their innovative and inclusive approaches show what’s possible when providers listen to families, engage with communities and adapt to meet the needs of every swimmer. They are role models for the sector and are helping to deliver real progress towards Generation Swim.”
In Stirling, Active Stirling has been recognised for its strong focus on inclusion and continuous improvement in its strategy to teach more than 2,199 swimmers.
The provider has developed an online video library of stroke demonstrations to help swimmers practise at home, while also investing in year-round contracts, expanded training opportunities and mentoring for teachers to ensure consistently high-quality lessons.
Meanwhile, East Renfrewshire Culture and Leisure is being celebrated for its family-first ethos and record-high lesson participation figures, with more than 1,800 pupils now enrolled in lessons.
The team also developed a unique intervention process to support children who are not progressing through levels as expected, ensuring that each swimmer has a clear and personalised development plan. It also runs female-only classes delivered by female instructors to meet cultural needs and promote body confidence.
In Edinburgh, more than 7,991 participants are benefitting from lessons delivered across eight Edinburgh Leisure pools and two school pools - a 9.12% increase from the previous year, marking a return to pre-COVID capacity. The organisation was recognised for its commitment to maintaining high standards across its facilities and developing coaching staff who can deliver consistent, high-quality instruction.
The winner of the Scottish Water Learn to Swim Provider of the Year award will be announced at the Scottish Swimming Annual Awards on 20th September 2025 at Marriott Hotel in Glasgow, recognising the achievements of Scotland’s top programme providers.
The winner will receive an exclusive poolside visit from the Learn to Swim Framework ambassadors - Olympic, World & Commonwealth Champion Duncan Scott and Paralympian and World Champion Toni Shaw.
Learn to Swim is a National Framework creating inclusive environments where individuals of all ages and abilities can learn to swim. It develops confident, competent swimmers while promoting healthy, active lifestyles. Around 84,000 children and adults participate in lessons weekly across Scotland.
Safety in and around water is central to the Framework. Swimming provides essential life skills to help people stay safer whether at local pools, beaches, or around Scotland's coastline, rivers, reservoirs and lochs.
