By Matthew Moore
Copyright hellomagazine
The Prince and Princess of Wales have always been invested in the safety of children, especially with their own three kids, and they have now teamed up with former Strictly star and Olympian Tom Dean. Their Royal Foundation has teamed up with the athlete’s swim school to provide learn-to-swim classes, which have already been provided for over 200 children in underserved areas. The partnership is set to benefit up to 1,000 children who wouldn’t otherwise be able to access swimming lessons, and they’re set to receive between 10 and 12 lessons.
The classes will be provided during the school year and are spread across the nation with lessons being provided in Devon, Birtley, Hull and Birmingham, among others. The announcement comes as it was sadly confirmed that the amount of child drownings in the UK had doubled between 2019/20 to 2022/23 and that one in three children left primary school without being able to swim.
Following the announcement, Tom said: “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. 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.”
Melanie Waters, the executive director of The Royal Foundation, added: “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. 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. Huge thanks to Tom Dean, and everyone at the Tom Dean Swim School, for working with us to bring this project to life.”
William’s love of water
The Prince of Wales has always been a keen swimmer and during his university days, the heir to the throne was a keen water polo player. William was the captain of the water polo team during his time at the University of St Andrews, frequently travelling around the country to play other student teams. He made his international water polo debut in 2004, taking to the pool for the Scottish National Universities side at a competition in Cardiff.
The royal’s love of water was acknowledged in 2007 when he was appointed patron of the English Schools’ Swimming Association. “Having swum and played water polo throughout my days at school and university, I am well aware of the great benefits and pleasure that can be derived from them,” he said at the time.
It’s not just William who loves the water, as in 2017, he shared that the royals were a “family of swimmers.” He told Eileen Fenton, who received an MBE for voluntary services to swimming, all the details of their prowess when they met. Eileen told the Press Association: “He said that he and his wife make sure the children can swim and they all go and they swim quite well.”
Prince George seems to have inherited his father’s love of being in the water and last year, the Prince of Wales revealed that his eldest son enjoyed scuba diving. Speaking to Olympic stars Tom Dean and Adam Peaty, William said: “George loves scuba diving. He’s 11 years old. We took him under thinking he would freak out. He absolutely loves it. It’s just introducing him to the world of water.”
