Xcite West Lothian have been recognised with a prestigious award after their efforts in getting youngsters into swimming.
The organisation was recognised as Learn to Swim Provider of the Year at Scottish Swimming’s recent annual awards ceremony after increasing their capacity for youngsters to learn to swim by almost 1500 in a little over a year.
Xcite West Lothian had space for 4479 kids in May 2021 but increased that to 5836 by August this year and a further 150 children are joining the programme this month.
The category - which is sponsored by Scottish Water - praised the provider for how it used the pandemic to address challenges impacting programme growth and recruitment of swimming teachers.
Karen Wernham, Head of Operations at Xcite, said: “To have been able to get more youngsters in the pool, learning to swim and loving and respecting the water, is what it is all about.
“The Learn to Swim programme has gone from strength to strength across all of our sites. It’s a proud moment to have the work and commitment of our team recognised on a national platform.
“When our leisure centres closed during the pandemic, we took the time to address how we could improve our services for both customers and staff.”
She added: “One of the key challenges we have faced is recruitment and developing a new workforce. To combat this, we have introduced new initiatives to encourage unqualified teachers into the industry including teacher training, mentoring and buddy systems.
“It’s been brilliant to see an increase in children learning to swim at our sites and we’re now operating ahead of pre-pandemic levels. It’s fundamental that doesn’t stop here and we continue to push forward with growth and equip more children with the skills they need.
“At an exciting period of growth for Xcite, we would encourage anyone wishing to become a swim teacher to get in touch for further information.”
Xcite currently operates the Learn to Swim programme in Armadale, Bathgate, Broxburn, Linlithgow, Livingston, Whitburn and Winchburgh.
Euan Lowe, Chief Executive Officer at Scottish Swimming, said: “The judging panel praised Xcite for creating a fun and inclusive programme which is vital to ensure youngsters are motivated to take part.
“The initiatives to promote teacher development and retention are inspiring as we continue to feel the aftershock of losing teachers during the pandemic.”
In attendance was Learn to Swim programme ambassadors and swim stars, Scotland’s all-time top medal-winning Commonwealth athlete Duncan Scott and Paralympian Toni Shaw.
Both ambassadors will visit Xcite to congratulate the team on their award win and take part in a lesson which will provide the opportunity to share stories about their swim journey to date with youngsters in the area.
A total of 36 Leisure Trusts and Aquatic Providers provide Learn to Swim lessons in more than 160 pools across the country.
The programme has already seen more than 100,000 young Scots take part in swimming lessons and is targeting another 100,000 by 2025.
For more information on the Learn to Swim programme, visit here
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