Cardiff Council has achieved Premier Status under the Amateur Swimming Association’s (ASA) Aquamark scheme.

The council began the Aquamark evaluation at the end of last year and received their Premier status for the second time last month.

The ASA is the national governing body for swimming and Aquamark is its quality seal of approval for swimming lesson providers. It is an original and unique programme, designed specifically to help organisations providing swimming programmes to improve and enhance their service.

Comprising four modules, operators are assessed on areas such as Programme Operation, Staffing, Customer Relations and Policy and Strategy. To achieve the top-level accreditation Premier status, a lesson provider must pass all four criteria. To achieve Approved status it must pass two of the four criteria.

The council operates swimming lessons at seven centres across the city – Eastern Leisure Centre, Fairwater Leisure Centre, Llanishen Leisure Centre, Pentwyn Leisure Centre, Western Leisure Centre, Splott Pool and Maindy Pool. Currently over 222,000 people access the swimming lesson programme each year and benefit from the National Plan for Teaching Swimming and the Kellogg’s Awards Scheme.

Swimming Development Manager Shirley Bourge believes it is a real achievement to receive Aquamark accreditation twice.

“I think the whole Aquamark process is great,” she said. “It is really useful to have guidelines to work towards. To achieve Premier status is really hard work and to have been accredited for the second time is really good recognition for the hard work of everyone at the centres.”

ASA Business Manager Mandy Mason is pleased to see Cardiff’s hard work paying off.

“Cardiff has been providing a quality learn to swim programme for many years,” she said. “It provides a programme that is very swimmer focused and it really deserves the accreditation after all of its hard work.”

-ENDS-

For more information contact ASA Media Assistant Gemma Field on 01509 632262, 07917 726431 or email gemma.field@swimming.org

The Amateur Swimming Association is the English National Governing Body for Swimming, Diving, Water Polo, Open Water, and Synchronised Swimming. It organises competition throughout England, establishes the Laws of the Sport and operates comprehensive certification and education programmes for Teachers, Coaches and Officials as well as its renowned Learn To Swim Awards scheme. The ASA supports 1,600 affiliated swimming clubs through a National/Regional/County structure. The ASA aims to ensure everybody has an opportunity to learn to swim.

Speedo® is the world's leading swimwear brand. Founded in Sydney in 1928 Speedo has over 75 years of heritage and expertise in swimwear and launched the FASTSKIN® FS-PRO, the fastest most powerful lightweight suit on the market, in 2007. Speedo is the Official Supplier to British Swimming and the ASA and provides valuable investment for swimming from grassroots through to elite level.
www.speedo.co.uk