I love the film Moana, just like the title character I have always felt drawn to the water somehow, I like to think that this helps me to teach those who are also drawn to the water to meet their sensory needs. For as long as I can remember I have been in and around the water. I grew up in a seaside town and so trips to the beach were plentiful, my childhood school books where we detailed our weekends are filled with entries of "at the weekend we went swimming".  As a young teenager I began sailing and kayaking, spending most weekends of the season in or on the water.

When I left college I joined the Royal Navy, a career with a connection to the sea. After leaving the Navy when my son was born I dabbled with the idea of becoming a cake maker or baker having been an amateur enthusiast I thought it could be my dream job. By chance, or fate I saw an advert on a local Facebook page inviting people to train to become swimming teachers, it piqued my interest and with the encouragement of my husband I went for it (even though my youngest was just a few months old).  Within two of the training sessions I had fallen in love, I couldn't imagine a job that would make me happier; I got to be in the water and I was able to share my passion, helping them to fall in love with swimming and find joy in the water.

An excerpt from my News Book when I was 6.
”My news I went to go swimming”

As time passed it started to become noticeable that my son was a little different, a quirky little bright spark, I didn't know at the time that he would be diagnosed as autistic but I did know that he loved the water too. He loved bath-time, swimming, puddles and all water play.  I could also see in some of his little friends that were also similarly wired, that they had a love of the water and I could see the huge potential for water play and swimming in promoting their development and helping them.  It sent me on a quest to find out more, at the time I hadn't even heard of Autism Swim much less undertaken their training where I learned the theory of water therapy and how to implement this to help. As soon as I found Autism Swim I signed up to become an approved instructor, I wanted to learn more, I needed to learn more, I knew that this was the path for me.After meeting Rachael and becoming the best of friends, she trusted me to teach Henry who in addition to having a heart condition is on his own unique development pathway.  Through teaching Henry and many, many conversations with Rachael, we realised together that there was more that we could do, which is what led us here to this point.

2020 has been an incredibly difficult year for so many people, the effects of lockdown and restrictions on "normal life", the additional pressure placed on parents, particularly parents of children with disabilities has placed a huge strain on mental health.  I have longed for months to be back in the water, living inland though I wasn't willing to put this call to the water before the need to not travel where it wasn't necessary and head to the beach.  Pools remained closed and I missed the calmness of the pool or the sea being wrapped around me, I imagined that this was how many of my swimmers felt too.  A few times I ran some deep baths in the day and put my two children in just to have a play session in the water.  On the warmer days we were lucky enough to play outside in our paddling pool together, but it didn't quite fill the hole I felt.  I did however have SWiRL and Rachael to help bridge the gap and focus on building a community of like-minded people that all have the goal of getting everyone into the water, to learn to swim, to learn to be safe and to enjoy the water and all of the benefits that it brings.

Special mother-son time spent in the pool

We all wish that 2020 had been different, but I am grateful for the time that I have had with Rachael to focus on what we can do to get everyone swimming, on what we can do to raise awareness on meeting sensory needs and the role that water plays, to educate, to signpost and to listen and to learn.

I am so happy that everyone can now go to pools again and enjoy them,  I just hope that there are enough swim schools and centres out there that are making sure that everyone has access and that everyone can participate and love the water the way that I love it.

Special thanks to:

Lynn of The Swim Surgery and Southern Swim Schools
Will of WJB Swim
Erika and the team at Autism Swim

and finally to Rachael, who just gets me and is now stuck with me!

Steph x