Parents, rejoice! Nationwide baby and children’s swim school, Turtle Tots, has just opened its very first dedicated swim centre in Staffordshire – a timely move as pool closures across the UK make it harder for children to learn to swim.
The new centre, run in partnership with franchisee Sam Taker (Turtle Tots Staffordshire), is part of a wider effort to make swimming more accessible for families and ensure children gain vital life-saving water skills. With so many pools closing in recent years, there’s real concern about children missing out on learning how to stay safe in and around water.
Why this matters: Turtle Tots is already the UK’s leading baby and toddler swim school, operating in over 200 pools nationwide. But with pool space increasingly scarce — 76% of public pools lost since 2020, according to Swim England — waiting lists are growing, making it harder for families to get their little ones in the water.
Gaby Lixton, Co-Founder of Turtle Tots, says:
“Learning to be safe around water isn’t just nice to have – it’s vital, and it saves lives. By opening purpose-built swim centres, we hope to make swimming accessible for more children and families.”
Sport England’s latest survey shows 30% of Year 7 children can’t swim 25 metres competently – up from 27% in 2017-18. Turtle Tots hopes its new model will help reverse that trend.
Family-Friendly Facilities
The Dunston swim centre is designed with families in mind. Highlights include:
- A warm 3 x 8 metre pool with hydro temperature and LED sensory lighting
- Large family-sized changing rooms with high-top tables
- Warm showers and GSI dryers
- Free parking and an on-site café
- Easy accessibility for visitors
The centre also allows franchisees more control over water quality and lesson environments, creating calm, safe, and fun swimming sessions for babies, toddlers, children – and even adults.
Gaby adds:
“Centres like these give children the chance to stay safe around water while letting teachers deliver high-quality lessons in a relaxed setting. It’s a win-win for families and our franchisees.”
Turtle Tots plans to open more of these purpose-built centres across the UK, offering partial investment support to franchisees who want to take part.
Turtle Tots is a multi-award-winning baby, toddler, and children’s swim school franchisor based in Bristol. Their child-led swimming programme starts from birth and focuses on building water confidence and life-saving skills while creating fun, memorable experiences for families. With 52 franchisees across the UK — and in the UAE and Ireland — Turtle Tots also offers aqua-natal yoga for mums-to-be and sells branded swimwear for little ones.
Monica Costa founded London Mums in September 2006 after her son Diego’s birth together with a group of mothers who felt the need of meeting up regularly to share the challenges and joys of motherhood in metropolitan and multicultural London. London Mums is the FREE and independent peer support group for mums and mumpreneurs based in London https://www.londonmumsmagazine.com and you can connect on Twitter @londonmums
