A THREATENED primary school swimming club will stay open after staff and parents stepped in to help.

St Peter’s CE primary school in Cassington, near Witney, faced losing its after school sessions when it could not supply enough qualified lifeguards.

PTA member, Sophia Vernon, contacted Keith Osborne at the Royal Life Saving Society UK (RLSS), who helped find a way to qualify staff and parents to coach and supervise the swimming club.

Children have been learning to swim at St Peter's since the early 1970s.

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Ms Vernon said: “It’s a huge relief for everyone involved and we can’t thank Keith enough – he’s our hero.

“Keith has supported us in all our swimming ventures for as long as I can remember, so the Royal Life Saving Society UK was always the first place I’d go to for help.

“Given our pool operation is akin to how a leisure centre swimming pool might be run, Keith was able to work with us to find a robust, safe operating model which means we can keep our swim club going."

Staff and parents at the school will be qualified in RLSS UK’s National Rescue Award for Swimming Teachers and Coaches (NRASTC) courses.

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Mr Osborne added: “It’s fantastic news that St. Peter’s has been able to maintain their swimming lesson provision,” says Keith Osborne.

“We believe that learning to swim is the first and main defence against drowning, it really is a lifesaving skill.

“I was delighted to have been able to help the PTA source a flexible yet stringent package of measures, that meant they could keep their swim club open and keep teaching our youngsters how to stay safe in and around water.”