Free swimming is just one of the benefits that thousands of youngsters across the Borough of Rochdale are set to enjoy from the new Link4Life Swim Academy which has been launched in pools in Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale this month.

It also marks the start of a new four-year partnership with the Swimming Teachers Association, the world's largest swim teaching and lifesaving organisation, which is set to revolutionise the teaching and learning of swimming in the borough of Rochdale.

John Matson, Business Development Manager from Link4Life, announcing the new scheme said, "This is a great opportunity to work in partnership with STA and offer something that no other leisure providers currently offer in the North West. The new Link4Life Swim Academy will provide high quality swimming lessons with more fun and more progression for the children taking part. It will also provide employment opportunities for the area with the recruitment and training of new swimming teachers."

Under the new Academy, swimming lessons will be available for 50 weeks of the year and learners will be awarded at every level of progress with colourful badges and certificates.

Talking about the added benefits built into the scheme, John Matson said, "We want to encourage families to swim together as part of an active lifestyle and having the opportunity to practise is really important in developing new skills. For that reason Link4Life has taken the decision to give anyone who is enrolled on the Swim Academy programme the chance to swim for free in any of our three main pools and also benefit from a 25% discount on school holiday learn to swim courses".

A new monthly direct debit scheme will also help families to spread the cost of lessons over the year. The Link4Life Swim Academy follows similar STA models that run in pools across Shropshire and in the West Midlands. It improves not only the provision of swimming through STA's International Learn to Swim Programme (ILSP) but also enables swimming teachers to access an internationally recognised training programme to enhance their skills and qualifications.

Roger Millward, Chief Executive of STA, said: "STA is delighted to be working with Link4Life to deliver a cost-effective, top level service consisting of a programme of high quality teaching for all ages. Learning how to swim is absolutely crucial and, through this partnership, we hope everyone within the catchment area of the Link4Life Swim Academy, from babies to adults, has the opportunity to learn this life skill."

Anyone enrolling now for the new Link4Life Academy programme will receive a free 16-page success tracker, which enables parents to track their child's swimming progress, and a branded swimming hat.