Swim Free is coming to Scotland, offering free swimming lessons from December for young people from serving Royal Navy, Royal Marines, and Royal Fleet Auxiliary families.
Lessons will take place at the Waterfront Leisure Complex in Inverclyde, providing 40 young people with fully funded blocks of 12 sessions beginning Monday, 1 December, 2025.
The programme follows STA’s internationally recognised swimming pathway, guiding participants through key stages including Octopus, Goldfish, and Angelfish to build strong foundations in water confidence, technique, and safety.
Launched in November 2024, Swim Free is funded by Greenwich Hospital and delivered in partnership with the not-for-profit Andrew Simpson Foundation.
Dr Maria Theofanous, Research and Education Grants Manager at Greenwich Hospital, said:
“We are delighted that the Greenwich Hospital Swim Free programme, delivered by the Andrew Simpson Foundation, will soon launch in support of the Clyde Royal Naval community. Swim Free has been exceptionally successful not only in teaching life-saving and life-enhancing skills to children and young people, but also in bringing naval families together and strengthening community support. We are grateful to the Andrew Simpson Foundation for securing a venue and getting us to launch.”
Lauren Murray, Swim Free’s Swimming Coordinator, said:
“We’re excited to be supporting naval families in Scotland for the first time. Swim Free gives young people from naval families the chance to learn, grow, and feel confident in the water, and we can’t wait to welcome our first swimmers at the complex in Inverclyde.”
Kathleen Johnstone, Swim Academy Coordinator for Waterfront Leisure Complex, Inverclyde, added:
“We’re proud to host Swim Free in Inverclyde and to play a part in giving young people from naval families the chance to develop essential life skills in the water. Supporting our community is at the heart of what we do, and we’re delighted to welcome the first group of swimmers to the Waterfront Leisure Complex this December.”
The Swim Free programme currently operates across several UK locations including Poole, Portsmouth, Plymouth, and Lympstone. In its first year of delivery, Swim Free provided over 12,000 lessons, from 7 delivery locations, to support more than 1,000 young people access to free learn-to-swim opportunities.
“We are delighted that the Greenwich Hospital Swim Free programme, delivered by the Andrew Simpson Foundation, will soon launch in support of the Clyde Royal Naval community.
Young people from the serving Royal Navy community taking part in Swim Free lessons.
What our Swim Free Programme Delivers
Watch our Swim Free programme in action
Join the Swim Free Programme
Swim Free is a fully-funded swimming programme open to all children and young people from the serving Royal Navy community.