International swimmer gives her tips for young learners

Former Team GB and Commonwealth Games international swimmer Angela Wilson,
whose career was cut short by injury, has unveiled a new, original creative swimming
programme using animated characters to encourage children to learn to swim properly.
Swimstylers will be initially launched in 14 of her Angela’s Swim School franchises
where she is Chief Executive, including those covering Streatham, Crystal Palace and
Beckenham.
The characters, named, Caspian, Oceana, aqua Pacific, ultra Marine and Atlantis, are
designed to teach children not only to swim properly but also about water safety and respect, to
improve their physical and mental wellbeing whilst motivating them to exercise, thereby reducing
stress.
Angela began developing the Swimstylers concept 12 months ago, following a Swim England
survey, which revealed a third of children cannot swim when leaving primary school and only 36
per cent of schools currently provide effective lessons that reach national curriculum standards.
She intends to roll out the programme to the rest of her 18 franchises and to make it available to
primary and swimming schools nationwide. Eventually she believes it can be licensed
internationally.
Swimstylers’ five inspirational animated child characters help to structure the five-staged
programme which is aimed at inspiring children to be like the characters and improve
their style, technique and self confidence as they progress through the character badge-
based system.
Angela said: “Swimming for me is not only a lifesaving skill but a life enhancing one.
Everyone could benefit from being able to swim properly and its hugely concerning to
hear frightening statistics that show so many of our children don’t have this essential
skill.

“Swimstylers is about making swimming engaging and a priority for us all. We’re
completely delighted with the response to the creative so far and have high hopes that it
will make a big difference nationwide.”
Angela has taught many youngsters to swim some of whom have gone on to excel in
other sports including Modern Pentathelete Joseph Choong, who represented Great
Britain at the 2016 Rio Olympics, and his brother Henry who represented Great Britain in
the 2014 Youth Olympic Games in the Modern Pentathlon.
Joseph said: “Angela’s swim coaching formed the platform of my career as a Modern
Pentathlete. Swimming is undoubtedly an incredibly important life skill and to this day is
still my strongest discipline in a modern pentathlon and it all started under Angela’s
guidance”.
Swimstylers has been developed in partnership with CHF Entertainment, part of the CHF
Media Group, which is behind children’s characters such as Pip Ahoy and Daisy & Ollie.