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Posted: 31 Mar 2010 | Channels:

Underprivileged Children Take Lessons From British Swimming Legends

Over 50 school children from some of the most deprived parts of the country were invited to participate in a very special event at the British Gas Swimming Championships, at Ponds Forge in Sheffield. Organised by British Gas Pools 4 Schools™, this once in a lifetime opportunity hopes to encourage sport, good health practices and success amongst children from low socio-economic backgrounds.

British Gas Pools 4 Schools, a scheme devised by Olympic swimmer Steve Parry organisation Total Swimming, is the largest, nationwide, public sector scheme of its kind, working closely with government bodies to influence the national curriculum. It works by engaging with schools lacking resources and sufficient funding, and setting up temporary pools in the school premises. The facility is then open for use by the school’s children, as well as the wider local community including other schools, adult day centres and volunteer groups from the area. With the help of British Gas, the programme offers a series of swimming lessons and bespoke programmes to a broad spectrum of Britain’s society – such as Muslim only and religious schools; autistic children; disability groups; OAPs; travellers; and children of ethnic minority backgrounds.

The children got to experience the nation’s biggest swimming event of the year, the British Gas Swimming Championships, which got under way on Monday 29th March and concludes on Saturday 3rd April. The special day, organised and funded by British Gas, offered children across the country – some of whom had never even been in a swimming pool prior to participating in the British Gas Pools 4 Schools programme – a chance to be part of the Championships, and get a glimpse into what life is like for our country’s top swimmers.