A groundbreaking Gloucestershire initiative has been recognised at the prestigious Sporting Equals Awards 2024, for providing accessible swimming lessons for people of colour.
Confronting inequality and underrepresentation in aquatic sports head-on, the Swimmers of Colour project is a collaboration between Lives of Colour, Gloucestershire's leading organisation for equity, equality, diversity and inclusion, and Swim Design Space, an approved Swim England school at Eagle Tower in Cheltenham.
Launched in 2023, in partnership with Active Gloucestershire and Sport England, the initiative offers inclusive, affordable and culturally sensitive swimming lessons, designed to empower adults from various ethnic backgrounds to develop vital swimming skills — and tackle the statistic that 95 per cent of Black British adults cannot swim.
This includes offering subsidised lessons and providing essential swimming equipment like swim caps and goggles, to remove potential barriers to participation.
After a hugely successful first round in Cheltenham, Swimmers of Colour has already expanded its reach to Gloucester, too.
The initiative was named 'Swim England Aquatics Champion' at the Sporting Equals Awards 2024, which celebrates sporting excellence within ethnically diverse communities across the UK, on Saturday 5 October 2024.
Florence Nyasamo-Thomas, founder and CEO of Lives of Colour, said: 'We are absolutely thrilled and deeply honoured to receive the 'Swim England Aquatics Champion' award alongside our wonderful partners at Swim Design Space.
'This award is not just a celebration of Swimmers of Colour but also a recognition of the incredible progress being made in breaking down barriers and creating a more inclusive future. Initiatives like ours are about more than just teaching people to swim — they’re about empowering individuals, building confidence and creating lasting change within communities that have long been underrepresented.'
As well as delivering projects like Swimmers of Colour, Lives of Colour plays an active role in amplifying the voices of Gloucestershire's ethnically diverse communities, working closely with organisations to champion diversity and inclusion in the workplace and drive culture change for a more inclusive county.
