Local swimming teacher Jackie Adams has been crowned Level Water’s ‘Teacher of the Year’ thanks to outstanding customer feedback.
Since 2019, Jackie has delivered weekly 1-1 swimming lessons to children with disabilities at Bournemouth’s Littledown Centre.
Helping young people with their physical development, social skills and emotional confidence, BH Live’s swimming teachers, just like Jackie, have received specialist disability training to deliver the weekly lessons which are co-funded by partner swim charity Level Water.
Jackie’s swimming journey is an inspiration, and she explains more about why she loves what she does. She said:
“My love of swimming began when I joined the Southend on Sea Life Saving Club as a volunteer in 1976. It continued after I moved to London and I became a member of the Serpentine Lido Lifeguard Club.
“I then spent 12 years in Australia as an active member of the Broadbeach Surf Life Saving Club on the Gold Coast. I became only the second woman to gain a Life Saving Bronze Medallion at the club in what was, up until 1982, a strictly male only environment.
“After returning to the UK in 1996 and settling in Cambridge I concentrated on raising my children until 2011 when I successfully passed Levels 1 & 2 swimming teachers certificates and began my teaching career.
“I became involved as a volunteer with the Cambridge Para Swimming Squad in 2013 where I ran the rookie’s section and helped out with coaching older children. On the back of this, I was asked if I would like to teach children with disabilities as part of the Level Water Program and I jumped at the chance and continued in that role until I moved to Christchurch in 2018.
“I once again became involved with Level Water at Littledown in 2019. Teaching children with disabilities has given me great joy and satisfaction over the last 10 years. It is all about thinking outside the box and adjusting the lessons to suit each individual swimmer and it has given me a wonderful sense of achievement to see these beautiful children progress through the various stages and sometimes progress to join mainstream classes.”
Level Water’s ‘Teacher of the Year’ award is sponsored by The Serpentine Swimming Club. It is an award recognising excellence in teaching children with disabilities. Nominations are based on feedback from parents. Trustees then cast the final vote for their Teacher of the Year.
Jackie’s nominations were exemplary, and she was particularly praised for being kind, caring, friendly and a superb teacher who ‘brings out the best in her students.’
On behalf of Level Water, Head of Programmes Matt Maguire said,
“Level Water’s aim is to instill a lifelong love of water in young people with disabilities by teaching them to swim, and I am constantly in awe at how our swimming teachers put this into practice with skill, confidence and joy. Jackie is a very well deserving recipient of this award; she has all these characteristics and the rapport and friendship she develops with her swimmers is genuinely life-changing. The feedback we had on Jackie’s teaching was universally positive and her dedication and enthusiasm is infectious. Across the BH Live network we now have 21 swimmers, an amazing achievement which is in no doubt due to the high quality teaching and experience the young people and families receive.”
Littledown, and its swimming lesson programme, is run by registered charity BH Live in partnership with BCP Council.
On behalf of the team at Littledown, Manager Robbie Smith adds,
“We congratulate Jackie on achieving this award. Learning to swim is a valuable skill for life which we believe everyone should have access to. Our teachers are making a difference to people’s lives every single day. The value this adds to the health, wellbeing and safety of our local community should be commended.”
To find out more about Level Water swimming lessons please visit levelwater.org
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Notes to Editors:
Photo-caption:
Names from left to right: Laura Daly, Colette McCarthy, Jackie Adams, Matt Maguire
For more information about BH Live please contact:
Elizabeth Symmons, Head of Marketing E: press.office@bhlive.org.uk T: (01202) 055562
About BH Live
BH Live is a leading operator of leisure and event venues; a registered charity and social enterprise that designs and builds engaging experiences to inspire people and enrich lives.
Our social objectives are to:
Encourage more people to take part in physical activity– by providing leisure facilities to encourage active communities and improve health and wellbeing.
Attract bigger entertainment audiences– with a diverse range of cultural and artistic events that appeal to a wide variety of tastes.
Deliver economic benefit– by hosting major conferences, exhibitions and events that benefit the local, regional and international economy.
With more than five million visits a year, we are changing lives and are at the heart of the UK’s growing social economy.
For more visit bhlive.org.uk.
Get social with us:
LinkedIn and Twitter @BHLIVE_UK Facebook @SocialEnterpriseBHLive
About Littledown Centre
Littledown is operated by BH Live in partnership with BCP Council.
Set in 47 acres of parkland, Littledown has some of the finest leisure, swimming, football and gym facilities in the country.
It is ranked among the top performing leisure centres in the UK, is accredited by quality scheme QUEST and is a National Fitness Award winner for the Local Authority/Leisure Trust Gym of the Year and finalist for the Best Group Exercise Gym of the Year.
It has more than 1.2 million attendances a year and is home to clubs including BH Live’s Swimming Academy, Swim Bournemouth, Littledown Juniors Football Club and Play Football.
The venue has one of the largest gyms in the UK with personal training, an exercise referral and children’s activity programme. Hundreds of weekly group exercise classes are offered including the Les Mills programme.
Indoor facilities include a 25-metre swimming pool, 17-metre teaching pool, a splash pool and spa. There is a large sports hall for events and multi-sport activities including trampolining, badminton, table tennis, football and gymnastics. The venue also has a café, bar and soft play facility.
Outdoor features include six floodlit 3G rubber crumb training pitches, grass football pitches, parkland for recreation and events, a cricket pitch and pavilion, lake, children’s playground, a paddling pool (open summer months only), outdoor catering and free customer parking for up to three hours seven days a week.
For more visit bhliveactive.org.uk.
Get social with us:
Twitter @bhliveactive Facebook @littledowncentre