At the age of just six-years-old a keen swimmer will be diving into her new role to inspire others. Aaliyah Pollitt from Bolton has been chosen to be a young international water safety ambassador for 2025. She was chosen by STA, a national governing body for swimming and an educational charity dedicated to the teaching of swimming and water safety.
After a nationwide search in the summer, STA chose five "amazingly diverse young people" to be part of the 2025 Water Safety Squad. From the hundreds of applications, Aaliyah’s nomination stood out because of her love for swimming and wanting to always achieve her best in her weekly swimming lessons. A key part of Aaliyah’s and the squad’s role in 2025 will be to represent STA during International Learn to Swim Week (ILSW), which takes place in May every year, and annually sees more than 3,500 swim schools across 30 countries take part.
The theme for 2025, the year STA celebrates the 10th anniversary of ILSW, is to showcase how learning to swim is inclusive, and opens the door of opportunity to a lifelong enjoyment of the water – whether that be for fun, leisure or sport. Aaliyah, who will be the youngest member of the squad in 2025, was chosen because of her bubbly and infectious personality, and this, said STA combined with her enthusiasm for swimming makes her a standout role model for children of all ages and abilities who are currently learning to swim. Dave Candler, STA’s CEO, said: “Each one of our squad members .
