Swimmers of Colour project lands Janice's Swim Design Space prestigious award

Four years ago, Janice Oliver made the bold decision to leave her job based in a law firm in London and Cheltenham to set up her own swim school. 

Little did she know that this step would put her on the path to a prestigious award.

Driven by her lifelong love of swimming, Janice was determined to turn her passion into a career, even though it was a leap into the unknown.

Today, Swim Design Space has flourished, and in collaboration with the charity Lives of Colour, their Swimmers of Colour project recently received a top industry honour, being named Swim England Aquatics Champion at the prestigious Sporting Equals Awards.

Reflecting on her journey, Janice shared: “I’ve always swum. Growing up in Swaziland, my parents encouraged us to learn, and it’s something I’ve always loved.”

Volunteering, teaching, and earning qualifications gave Janice the confidence to think bigger.

“I realised I could make a career out of this and create the swim school I envisioned. That’s how Swim Design Space was born,” she explained.

“I decided I didn’t want to return to London. I was managing front and back-office operations for the law firm and thought I could apply those skills to my swim school.”

Now, four years on, Swim Design Space is thriving.

“We’re really happy with where the school is,” said Janice. “It’s exactly where we hoped it would be.

“The diversity we’ve achieved was a major goal from the start. I wanted to create a space where people from all walks of life were represented.”

Initially focusing on adults, the swim school has grown to a mix of both children and adults, with 60 percent of the students being children and the rest adults. “We teach everyone, from four-year-olds to our oldest student, who is 80.”

As a Swim England-affiliated school, Swim Design Space has taught more than 1,000 people to swim.

Yet for Janice, the experience is about more than just numbers.

“We see ourselves as a boutique swim school. Keeping class sizes small allows us to deliver high-quality, personalised lessons, which people trust and invest in,” she says.

Operating out of four pools, the school takes a hands-on approach to both teaching and running the business.

Janice attributes part of their success to the diversity of the teaching staff. “When people see a teacher of colour, they think, ‘I’d like to give this a try.’ That representation is crucial for attracting people who may not have considered swimming before.”

Incredible moment

When Swim Design Space was honoured at the Sporting Equals Awards in London, Janice was deeply moved.

“It was an incredible moment,” she said. “Not just for me, but for everyone who has worked with us and believed in our vision.”

A major factor in the school’s growth has been its collaborative approach.

“We’re always looking to partner with like-minded organisations,” Janice says. “We work closely with Swim England, Soul Cap, Sport England, and Active Gloucestershire. These partnerships are at the core of our success.”

One standout example is the Swimmers of Colour project, developed with the charity Lives of Colour.

The initiative is dedicated to breaking down barriers in swimming for ethnically diverse communities, offering inclusive, affordable, and culturally sensitive programs tailored to their needs.

“We understand the unique challenges people from different backgrounds face when it comes to swimming,” Janice explains.

“That’s why we offer subsidised lessons and provide essential equipment like swim caps and kickboards to help overcome those barriers.”

The impact of Swimmers of Colour extends beyond Gloucestershire.

“We’re about to launch our third project, and we already have waiting lists for sites in Bristol, Birmingham, and Coventry.

“Expanding to those areas would be fantastic, but we’re also focused on turning some of our swimmers into instructors and lifeguards. We want to create lasting change, so in the future, it’s normal for people from ethnically diverse backgrounds to learn to swim.”

Looking ahead, Janice hopes that one day, projects like Swimmers of Colour won’t be needed. “

I don’t want to phase us out too soon, but the ultimate goal is for this kind of initiative to no longer be necessary — where everyone feels welcome in the pool, and being healthy and represented is just the norm.”

Mike Hawkes, Swim England’s head of diversity and inclusion, praised the project, saying: “Janice and the team at Swim Design Space were very deserving of the Swim England Aquatics Champion award.

“They’ve worked tirelessly to remove barriers and significantly increased participation in aquatics among ethnically diverse communities.

“Their collaborative work with the Swimmers of Colour project has been incredibly effective, and we’re proud to continue supporting them.”

With a firm commitment to inclusion, representation, and collaboration, Swim Design Space continues to push boundaries in aquatics, paving the way for a future where swimming is accessible to everyone.