Swim Safe Cymru is a Water Safety Education programme for 7 to 14 year olds. It provides experiential learning opportunities available to schools and public. Swim Safe Cymru is a free 45 minute session providing vital water safety information and messaging to participants and practical application of key water safety and self-rescue skills in open water. Swim Wales and Water Safety Wales believe all children should have the opportunity to learn how to swim and be taught how to stay safe in and around water.

Swim Safe Session, Ynysmon, June 2025

Swim Safe Cymru is a unique water safety education intervention aimed at delivering practical experience of outdoor water environments in a safe, fun way.  The ambition is that every child in the UK should get the opportunity not only to learn to swim but experience applying practical water safety and safe self-rescue skills in an outdoors environment.  Sadly, every year over 400 people in the UK lose their lives to accidental drownings with over 34,000 other non-fatal water based incidents being responded to be by Fire and Rescue, the RNLI and other search and rescue services.

Through collaboration with Swim Wales, Swim England and the RNLI; seven local authority areas have or will be hosting these engaging sessions in 2025.  Anglesey, Cardiff, Conwy, Denbighshire, Gwynedd, Pembrokeshire and Torfaen have delivered consistent, practical water safety education opportunities across Wales in 2025. By engaging young people in hands-on experiences and reflection, they will be better able to connect theories and knowledge learned in the classroom and swimming pool to real-world situations.

The cost of swimming lessons and accessing aquatic opportunities is increasing and is beyond a significant percentage of our communities. Everyone in Wales has the right to be safe and to enjoy the fantastic natural resources; the provision of Swim Safe Cymru by these providers is a step to ensure that more children across the country have increased water safety knowledge and awareness.

Every year, RNLI lifeguards and lifeboats race to the rescue of children and adults who find themselves in difficulty in and near the water. In 2013, Swim England and the RNLI launched Swim Safe to help children learn how to stay safe in and around open water before they might need to be rescued.

Swim Wales have worked closely with Swim England and the RNLI and a range of local delivery partners to make Swim Safe available to as many children as possible, whether they live by the coast, inland and in our cities.

Since launching with a single site in 2013, Swim Safe has grown to include more than 30 sites across England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man.
In 2023, the brand was updated to Swim Safe Cymru for the sites delivering in Wales. Swim Wales provided bilingual lesson plans, overview information and participation certificates.

The experiential learning environment of a water safety lesson in an outdoor, cold-water environment could have a significant impact on confidence, awareness and success of water safety education in Wales.

Swim Wales’ National Learn to Swim Manager, Hanna Guise, commented:

“Swim Wales and Water Safety Wales is committed to reducing drowning deaths and keeping our communities safe around water. We have an aspiration of zero water-related deaths. Achieving this goal will require a generational shift in behaviour. The activities covered in Swim Safe Cymru will teach skills that participants take with them through life.”

Every year, RNLI lifeguards and lifeboats race to the rescue of children and adults who find themselves in difficulty in and near the water. In 2013, Swim England and the RNLI launched Swim Safe to help children learn how to stay safe in and around open water before they might need to be rescued.

Swim Wales have worked closely with Swim England and the RNLI and a range of local delivery partners to make Swim Safe available to as many children as possible, whether they live by the coast, inland and in our cities.

Since launching with a single site in 2013, Swim Safe has grown to include more than 30 sites across England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man.
In 2023, the brand was updated to Swim Safe Cymru for the sites delivering in Wales. Swim Wales provided bilingual lesson plans, overview information and participation certificates.

The experiential learning environment of a water safety lesson in an outdoor, cold-water environment could have a significant impact on confidence, awareness and success of water safety education in Wales.

Swim Wales’ National Learn to Swim Manager, Hanna Guise, commented:

“Swim Wales and Water Safety Wales is committed to reducing drowning deaths and keeping our communities safe around water. We have an aspiration of zero water-related deaths. Achieving this goal will require a generational shift in behaviour. The activities covered in Swim Safe Cymru will teach skills that participants take with them through life.”

Impact of attending a Swim Safe Cymru session:

Swim Safe Cymru increased children’s knowledge about beach flags by 35%

17% of children gained a better understanding about when it is safe to swim in open water

94% of children post session knew how to call for help if someone else got into danger in open water

95% of children knew how to call for help if they got into danger in open water

97% Children knew to Float if they fell in


To book onto a public Swim Safe Cymru session:

Anglesey      https://swimsafe.org.uk/locations/canolfan-conway-centre-anglesey

Denbighshire        https://swimsafe.org.uk/locations/rhyl

Torfaen                 https://llandegfedd.co.uk/events/swim-safe/

Cardiff                  https://lisvane-llanishen.com/events/swim-safe/