Steve Parry appointed Swim Safe Chair

Olympic medallist Steve Parry has been appointed Chair of the outdoor swimming and water safety programme Swim Safe.

Swim England and then RNLI run the programme in partnership. It teaches young people how to have fun and stay safe when swimming outdoors.

This year, over 16,000 children took part in a Swim Safe session at a variety of  locations across the UK.

Parry is a committed water safety campaigner

Parry is committed to making sure all children have access to swimming and water safety lessons. He brings a wealth of experience, energy and dedication to the role.

Parry said: “It is essential that children learn how to be safe in and around water. Swim Safe takes this to the next level so for me, there is no better programme to be involved with.

“Swim England and the RNLI both work tirelessly to make sure people are safe in the water. I had a near-drowning experience as a youngster so I feel particularly honoured to be working with the RNLI which has saved over 142,000 lives since it started nearly 200 years ago.”

Guy Botterill, Swim Safe Programme lead, said: “We are delighted to be welcoming Steve to the Swim Safe team.

“This is an exciting time for Swim Safe. Since we launched in 2013 we have expanded from one site in Bude to over 20 sites across the UK. More importantly, we have enabled thousands of young people to learn vital life-saving skills that they may otherwise not have had the opportunity to learn.

“Steve will play an integral role in helping us achieve our vision of every child across the UK and Ireland having access to a Swim Safe session. He brings a wealth of experience and expertise to the Swim Safe Board and will be a great advocate for the programme.”

The announcement coincides with the final week of Swim Safe 2017. School sessions are happening in Salford Quays and, for the first time, in Scotland at Silver Sands in Aberdour.

Parry will take up his role on 11 October at the next Swim Safe Board meeting.

• Click here for more information about Swim Safe.