Princess William and Princess Kate will join forces with Olympic swimming legend Tom Dean MBE to help provide complimentary swimming instruction to 1,000 underprivileged children throughout Britain.
In Monaco, Princess Charlene is also spearheading a campaign to help youngsters learn to swim in the principality and in France.
The Prince and Princess of Wales’s initiative will see the Royal Foundation collaborate with the with triple Olympic gold medallist swimming academy.
It will seek to tackle alarming statistics showing nearly a third of pupils finish primary education without basic swimming abilities whilst childhood drowning fatalities have surged in recent years.
Prince William and Princess Kate are teaming up with an Olympic legend to help promote swimming for young people
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More than 200 youngsters have already begun their swimming instruction through the scheme, which offers packages of 10 to 12 sessions delivered by Dean’s swimming academy.
William and Kate’s new project will build on the success achieved so far in Birtley, Tyne and Wear – where volunteers and staff reopened a community pool last year with Royal Foundation backing, attracting more than 88,000 visits from adults and children.
Melanie Waters OBE, Executive Director of The Royal Foundation, celebrated the initiative’s success so far.
“Over the last year, I’ve been inspired by how much the community has achieved in Birtley, reopening their pool and encouraging so many people to come and swim there,” she said.
The Royal Foundation will join forces with three-time Olympic gold medallist swimmer, Tom Dean
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“This new partnership between The Royal Foundation and the Tom Dean MBE Swim School is an important next step, as we encourage everyone parents, teachers and kids to see the benefits of learning to swim,”
The partnership hopes to address a critical need as childhood drowning fatalities in the UK more than doubled between 2019/20 and 2022/23, rising from 20 to 41 deaths.
Monaco’s Princess Charlene shared the worry of the Prince and Princess of Wales, as she admitted she was: “Deeply concerned by the sharp rise in the number of drownings”.
Speaking in August, Charlene feared many were lacking the “best protection” against “merciless” water – knowing how to swim.
Monaco’s Princess Charlene is also promoting swimming lessons for young people
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The Monegasque princess was inspired to action by the traumatising death of her five-year-old cousin, admitting: “I don’t think that kind of pain ever really goes away.”
Mr Dean stressed the importance of the programme in promoting swimming as “vital” in the development of young people across the country.
Echoing her comments, Tom Dean said that: “Every child should have the opportunity to learn to swim and understand water safety.
“Swimming is a vital life skill that builds resilience, fosters social connection and keeps young people safe when they are in and around water.
The initiative is already up and running in Britley, with 200 youngsters already learning
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“This partnership with The Royal Foundation is supporting so many young people, up and down the UK, to find a pool near to them and dive in. Let’s get kids swimming, wherever they live,” he said.
Senior management from Mr Dean’s swimming academy are providing ongoing consultation and strategic support to the already established facility in Birtley.
The programme is now active from Birtley to Devon, Hull and Birmingham, and additional sites scheduled to launch during the academic year.