Rebecca Adlington launches half-price swimming lessons in West Yorkshire after child drowning tragedies

Rebecca Adlington is launching half-price swimming lessons for children across West Yorkshire, following drowning deaths over the last six weeks.

The Olympic gold medallist is running the new initiative at three of her swim school venues, aiming to keep children safe in and around water this summer.

The offer for new customers will be available at Swim! Castleford, located at Xscape Yorkshire, and Swim! Batley in Frontier Business Park, two of Rebecca’s £1million purpose-built pools.

Half-price classes will also be available at Swim @ Tong Academy.

Rebecca said she had been “deeply saddened” by recent drowning tragedies across the UK.

During May’s hot weather, at least 18 people died after getting into difficulty in the water. This includes a 13-year-old boy who died after being pulled from the water at Leadbeater Dam in Halifax, and a 16-year-old boy whose body was found in a lake in Rotherham.

“Launching this offer across our swim schools is incredibly important to me,” Rebecca said.

“Swimming gave me so much in life, but more importantly, it’s a life-saving skill.

“With so many tragic incidents happening in open water, it’s more important than ever that children feel confident and safe in the water. This is about opening doors to easier access to lessons, building confidence, and helping save lives.”

Lessons are available for children up to 11 years old, and will be delivered in small class sizes.

Parents and guardians can sign their children up for the half price until September at www.swim.co.uk - although Rebecca warns places are limited due to demand and the offer is reserved for new customers only.

Since her retirement, Rebecca has been dedicated to teaching the next generation to swim through her family friendly swimming programme, which operates across the UK.

She opened a new Swim! pool at at Leeds City South Retail Park earlier this year.