David Skaith, Mayor of York and North Yorkshire, has invested over £28,000 to get children on the coast swimming.
Mayor Skaith launched ‘Moving Forward’ on Friday (10 October). The campaign looks to address regional challenges through four key areas; Movement, Activity and Sport, Active Travel, Men’s Mental Health, and Connected to the Outdoors.
The first milestone is £2.75 million Movement, Activity and Sport funding, from which he has already awarded over £28,000 to Swim Safe in Scarborough, Whitby and Filey.
David Skaith, Mayor of York and North Yorkshire said:
It’s ironic that I can’t swim but my first investment under Moving Forward is into Swim Safe.
Sport changed my life, and I want as many people as possible to have that same opportunity. By teaching children basic swimming skills and encouraging them to be safe in the water, we can open the door to a whole new type of movement and allow them to spend time in our beautiful blue spaces.
I know the impact that movement can have on physical and mental health, but in our region, too many people face barriers, so increasing access to swimming is the perfect first step.
Moving Forward is about backing people across York and North Yorkshire to build the healthy and thriving communities they deserve, and investing in projects like Swim Safe is an excellent way to do it.
The Swim Safe on the coast project, ran by Everyone Active, provides water/swim safety sessions and will enable over 200 eligible children with little to no swim experience access to 12 weeks of lessons so they can be safer and more confident around water.
Martin Russell, Activity and Wellbeing Manager at Everyone Active said:
This funding means we can reach even more families and children who wouldn’t usually be able to access water safety courses.
Swimming proficiency dropped after Covid, but levels are starting to rise, and we are really trying to make a bigger dent in those statistics and make sure no young person is left without basic water safety.
By ensuring young people and their guardians can be safe in the water, we give them the opportunity to swim both indoor and out.
York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority have partnered with North Yorkshire Sport to administer the Movement, Activity and Sport fund, which is currently open for applications. Find out more information here: https://yorknorthyorks-ca.gov.uk/project/mas-fund/
