Carterton Central Lions Club [CCLC] has partnered with Carterton South End Primary School to provide swimming and water safety lessons for the school’s Year 3 children over a five-day period.
One thousand dollars was donated by the CCLC, which South End School matched to ensure that all 32 of its Year 3 students will have five lessons.
Primary school is a vital age to teach swimming and water safety skills, South End principal Clare Crawford told the Times-Age, and by the time children leave primary school, they must have the skills to look after themselves when they are near water.
“I believe Year 3 is a really good age to target being safe in and around water,” she said.
Crawford is passionate about educating children about water safety.
“In New Zealand, every child needs to know how to look after themselves in and around water. It’s so important,” said Crawford.
As well as traditional swimming lessons, the children are also taught beach and river safety.
“We go to Riversdale and do beach education, and we go to the rivers and do river education,” Crawford said.
“The swimming aspect gives them the confidence to know that they could turn on their back if they got into trouble, and they could swim from here to there in whatever fashion, even doggy paddle, to get themselves to safety.”
The Carterton Pool complex is a vital factor in this programme because travelling to the nearest other indoor pool in Masterton is a financial hurdle for South End. The fact that Carterton District Council doesn’t charge for these swimming pools is also essential. Children can gain confidence in lessons, but free admission means parents can easily bring them in and continue to build on those skills.
Concurrently, CCLC is continuing to raise funds for a much-needed renovation of the indoor pool building.
“It’s well overdue for a revamp,” CCLC member Maureen Ashby said.
The club is running a range of events to raise funds for the project and has so far raised just over $10,000 on its Give a Little fundraiser page.
If you would like to donate money that will go towards renovations for the Carterton swimming pool, visit givealittle.co.nz/cause/cartertonswimmingclub
indoorpoolproject
