No matter what stage you’re at, learning to swim can be a tough journey.
But for some communities, it’s even harder than it should be.
Today, we’re looking at the incredible work of a UK-based swim charity that’s bringing essential survival skills to a community that needs it most — one that’s already suffered the tragic effects of a lack of water safety.
We’re talking about Likkle Swimmers.
And we’re proud to be a part of their life-saving mission.
Bringing swim safety to a remote community
Likkle Swimmers was founded with a simple goal:
To create free access to safe swimming and promote water safety for kids.
And since 2017, that’s exactly what they’ve been doing:
In a small rural community on the south coast of Jamaica, Likkle Swimmers has been providing free swimming lessons and water safety training to kids and adults living at Treasure Beach.
It’s a remote coastal village with no public funds or facilities for children — and before Likkle Swimmers, barely any of its children had been given the chance to learn to swim.
After the tragic loss of a father who drowned while rescuing his son from the water, Likkle Swimmers was founded by CEO Charlotte Holt — to give this community the tools and education they need to keep their kids and adults safe in the water.
Life-saving water safety for kids and adults
Likkle Swimmers gives free swimming lessons to children aged 4 and up — and more recently, they’ve expanded their lessons to teach adults in the same community.
They created access to a new local swimming pool to create a safe space for learning — as well as building changing rooms to grow the swimming facilities that the village had access to.
Since 2017, they’ve taught hundreds of kids each year — giving more than 700 children the swim safety skills they need to become confident in the water and stay safe on Treasure Beach.
As well as their 6-stage swimming lessons that take kids from beginners to competent swimmers, they also teach invaluable courses around life-saving skills and water safety training, including:
CPR and first aid
Fully clothed swimming
Using rescue equipment
And survival chin rescue.
By teaching these critical skills, Likkle Swimmers is helping to create a new generation of confident swimmers — as well as giving adults and teenagers the techniques and knowledge that help them safeguard the children in their rural community.
How does SOUL CAP support Likkle Swimmers?
We partnered with Likkle Swimmers to share and support the amazing work they do — bringing free swim education and facilities to a community that’s still healing from a water-related tragedy.
But we’re also helping out by doing what we do best:
On their recent trip out to Jamaica to teach, we donated our SOUL CAPs for the kids and adults who are learning to swim at Treasure Beach — so their ambitious young swimmers can have the confidence they need on their journey in the water.
We’re more than proud to stand beside Likkle Swimmers and the incredible work they do for a community in need.
And if you’re looking to get involved, we’d love for you to join us:
How can I help?
Likkle Swimmers is a community-based charity that’s run by a tight-knit band of volunteers and swim teachers.
That means your support can make a huge difference to the work they do — and the lives of the people living at Treasure Beach.
So if you want to show your support, you can follow their journey on Instagram or Twitter (@likkleswimmers), and share their story with as many people as possible.
You can also help directly by making a donation through their new JustGiving campaign for 2024.
With your donations, they’ll be able to fund their free swim courses, provide equipment and transport to the kids at Treasure Beach — and employ local Jamaicans as swim teachers and pool assistants.
Because charities like Likkle Swimmers are out there making a real difference for an entire community.
And it’s communities like ours that can help them go further.