Growing in Devon: The people making it possible
Devon has a special place in the Level Water story. The rivers, estuaries and coastline that make the county so beautiful are the same waters that thousands of swimmers tackle every year at our fundraising events, raising the money that makes one-to-one swimming lessons possible for children with disabilities across the UK. So being able to give something back to the communities that have given so much to us is, as our CEO Ian Thwaites puts it, something that "means a huge amount to our whole team."
That's why we're so proud to be expanding our work across South Devon, bringing new lessons to Dartmouth, Totnes and Ivybridge in the coming months.
Meet Alastair
At the heart of this expansion is Alastair Mullen, a local swim teacher already delivering one-to-one lessons in Dartmouth. If you want to understand what Level Water is really about, spend five minutes talking to someone like Alastair. His dedication to the children he works with, and the joy he takes in watching their confidence grow week by week is exactly what this programme is built on. Quite simply, we couldn't do this without people like him.
The impact he's having is already being felt by families. David, whose daughter has various neurological challenges to overcome, has seen the difference first-hand:
"Alastair at Level Water has been incredible with her, he is kind and calm and gives simple and clear instructions. He makes sure that every lesson is engaging and different, and it is clear how much more she engages with learning under his tuition. As a result, her confidence and ability has grown."
That kind of transformation, a child who loves the water, learning to feel safe and free in it drives everything we do.
A community effort
None of this happens without the right partners. We're grateful to Fusion Lifestyle, leisure operator for pools in Dartmouth, Totnes and Ivybridge, whose support has been essential to getting these programmes off the ground. And we're proud to continue our long-standing partnerships across Devon with Aveton Gifford Community Pool, Community Support Team at Riverside Leisure Centre, Plymouth Life Centre (operated by Plymouth Active), SMART Swim Centre and Swim Devon. Together, we’re now reaching dozens of children across the county every week.
Kelly, mum of Mitchell, who swims at SMART Swim Centre, captures what these partnerships can mean for a family and the impact his teacher, Evie has had.
"Evie has worked so incredibly hard with Mitchell following the Level Water guidelines. This swimming pool and charity has helped my son massively, if you saw him a year ago you wouldn't think it was possible to ever get him to swim again."
What comes next?
Ian Thwaites, Level Water's CEO, sums up our ambition for Devon simply: "Our goal is simple: reach as many children across Devon as we can, giving every child equal access to the confidence, joy and freedom that comes from learning to swim."
With new lessons launching soon in Totnes and Ivybridge, we're well on our way. If you know a child who could benefit from one-to-one swimming lessons, or if you're a swimming teacher interested in getting involved, we'd love to hear from you.