IN a fight back against obesity, Holsworthy Leisure Centre, managed by 1610, is offering a pro-active swimming programme for adults and children, which is changing lives for the better.

The leisure centre is offering free children’s swimming taster sessions and hopes to soon be able to provide group-swimming lessons for adults.

They are also working in partnership with the local children’s centre to promote swimming within the Holsworthy community.

1610 manages the Holsworthy Leisure Centre and they will be running a campaign called ‘1610 reasons to swim’, which will demonstrate the key benefits swimming has on health.

The campaign hopes to encourage as many people from a wide range of ages to take up swimming — which is also considered a key life skill that can enhance leisure and a healthy lifestyle.

More on the campaign can be found on their website www.1610.org.uk/blog/1610-reasons-swim

Someone who has taken up the 1610 challenge of adult swimming lessons at Holsworthy Leisure Centre is 36-year-old Charlene Gwidza, from Petrockstowe.

She believes that the lessons have changed her life for the better by helping her overcome her fear of deep water.

Back in the autumn Charlene began having one to one lessons with leisure centre swim school co-ordinator Adam Davey. She had previously had a fear of going out of her depth in water. This fear was having a big impact on her family holidays and keeping her family safe near water.

Charlene is now able to swim two lengths of Holsworthy pool and she intends to continue with lessons to further improve her swimming technique.

Her new found confidence in the water will help improve family holidays as Charlene says she will now be able to take her children to swimming pools. She said: “This was a huge motivator for starting lessons.”

Charlene would encourage other adults who can not swim to overcome their fears and join in the swimming lessons provided at the Holsworthy Leisure Centre. She added: “I say to people I meet just go for it, you have nothing to lose and you gain so much, Adam has been brilliant and we are looking forward to all swimming together as a family.”

For more information on the range of swimming lessons and activities available at the Holsworthy Leisure Centre contact swim school co-ordinator Adam Davey on 01409 254013 or email [email protected]