The Black Swimming Association (BSA), is a non-profit organisation, as a voice, an advocate and a strategic agent for change, to drive forward participation, inclusion and diversity in aquatics for black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) people.

With statistics showing that 95 per cent of black adults and 80 per cent of black children in England do not swim, the launch of the BSA in March this year was a welcome addition to the aquatic family.

Ed Accura, Head of Partnerships at the Black Swimming Association said:

“We know that our strength lies in working together to understand, overcome and break significant age-long barriers to swimming within black, Asian and minority ethnic communities.

“Only in collaborative partnership can we drive participation, engagement, and inclusion, for people from BAME communities in aquatics. That is ultimately why we decided to launch the Black Swimming Association and were delighted when we were approached by the Royal Life Saving Society UK.”

By the start of this year, the RLSS UK Board of Trustees had already defined the Charity’s purpose as ‘to enhance communities, so that everyone can enjoy being in, on or near water, safely – because every life is worth saving’. A critical part of this purpose includes reaching out to communities that may be more vulnerable than others and facilitating access to the employment pathways in the leisure sector, that lifeguarding and lifesaving training, can present.

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