Young people across the Yorkshire Coast are being offered free open water safety lessons in Scarborough as the Andrew McGeown Legacy Fund celebrates a decade of delivering the SwimSafe programme.
Free sea safety sessions will educate thousands of young people in Scarborough this week.
Vital open water lessons are returning to the town's North Bay as the Andrew McGeown Legacy Fund proudly celebrates ten years of delivering the SwimSafe programme across the Yorkshire Coast.
Fully funded hourly classes will run during the first week of the month, from Monday the 10th of August until Wednesday the 12th of August. The daily sessions will operate between 11.00 am and 3.00 pm, offering multiple opportunities for participation.
The sessions are specifically designed for children aged between seven and fourteen. However, to safely participate in the coastal training, young people must already be capable of swimming a distance of more than twenty-five metres.
Created through a collaborative partnership between Swim England and the RNLI, the SwimSafe initiative serves a crucial purpose. The programme teaches young people how to navigate the specific, unpredictable dangers associated with swimming in the sea and other open water environments.
Since the inaugural Scarborough session was launched in 2016, more than nine thousand young people have received this crucial water safety education. This significant milestone has been achieved entirely through the dedicated fundraising efforts and generous donations of the public.
While the sessions take place in Scarborough's North Bay, the impact of the programme stretches far beyond the town. Participants regularly travel from Whitby, Filey, and across the wider Yorkshire region to take part in the life-saving initiative.
Donna Loveland, Andrew’s sister, leads the fundraising, volunteer co-ordination, and event organising at the Andrew McGeown Legacy Fund. She highlighted the critical difference between indoor and outdoor swimming, and explained the importance of the charity's work.
Donna Loveland said:
"SwimSafe is taking swimming from a pool to the open water where there is far more dangers to consider. Educating young people about the dangers of sea and open water swimming is vital and, in my opinion, should be compulsory. This year, more than any, this feels so important because of the number of lives lost, of all ages, in open water."
The legacy fund was established in 2015 following a devastating local tragedy. Andrew McGeown lost his life in the sea at Scarborough’s South Bay while attempting to rescue his beloved dog, Arnold.
Reflecting on recent water-related incidents, Donna Loveland expressed deep empathy for others who have been affected by similar tragedies.
She said:
"Our thoughts are with the families of those who have lost their lives in the sea or open water because we know exactly what they are going through."
Families wishing to secure a space on a SwimSafe session can book online via the official SwimSafe website at https://swimsafe.org.uk/locations/scarborough. Further details about the charity's ongoing community work can also be found on the Andrew McGeown Legacy Fund Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/andrewmcgeownlegacyfund/.
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29 Jul 2026 - Children aged between seven and fourteen will learn vital sea survival skills as the Swim Safe programme returns to Scarborough's North Bay.
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