The Southern Swimming Pool has announced a new initiative offering free swimming sessions to children in the south of the island.

The initiative, named ‘Community Splash’, aims to increase access to swimming while promoting health and well-being.

The programme is available to pupils from reception through through to year three (key stage one), and they must attend either Arbory, Ballasalla, Rushen, Scoill Phurt Le Moirrey, Victoria Road or The Buchan.

Community Splash will run from June 28 to August 31 next year.

Children under the age of eight must be accompanied in the water by an adult aged 16 or over, and participating children will receive a free pass card, intended to reduce financial barriers for families and help young swimmers build confidence in the water.

The initiative is funded through sponsorship from local charity ‘Southern Authorities Healthcare Trust’, which supports health and well-being initiatives in the south of the island.

Programme performance will be evaluated based on attendance figures, with the possibility of continued sponsorship beyond the initial period.

Laurence Vaughan-Williams, the chair of the board, said: ‘This is a most worthy initiative, and we are grateful to Juan Watterson and the Southern Authorities Healthcare Trust for their sponsorship.

‘This acknowledges the relevance of the Southern Swimming Pool to the wider community and will encourage children and their families to make use of this facility.’

The Southern Swimming Pool was saved from closure back in January due to a new financial plan presented to the Department of Education, Sport and Culture (DESC).

The DESC made a recommendation to close the pool, and a motion was initially going to be put to Tynwald at the end of February to decide its fate.

However, the new financial proposal enabled the pool to continue to operate within its current subvention.