Water Babies Bucks and Beds and its first little swimmers turn 18!
Way back in 2004, when Pixar’s The Incredibles was first gracing our screens and Usher’s “Yeah!” was topping the charts, something else would happen that would make a lasting impression on the lives of thousands of children across the county. Local mum of two, Tamsin Brewis, would launch her baby swimming school – Water Babies Bucks and Beds.
Since her first lessons, Tamsin has seen her business grow just as much as her first little swimmers, to now employ a team of 13 teachers and office staff who teach at 19 pools across four counties. In celebration of a successful 18 years in business – and successfully teaching thousands of little ones to swim – Tamsin recently caught up with some of her first water babies, who are now all grown up and have recently reached the big 18th milestone themselves.
Not surprisingly, many of her earliest swimmers have gone on to feel more at home in the pool than they do on dry land and have become successful swimmers, with one little swimmer going on to swim competitively.
Despite now being 13 years too old for Water Babies lessons, Naeve Pountney, one of Tamsin’s first-ever water babies at a pool in Milton Keynes, has continued swimming for the rest of her life and now trains regularly and takes part in national competitions.
“The lessons I learnt at Water Babies have certainly made a lasting impression on my life. After growing out of Water Babies, I continued swimming classes and eventually joined a local swimming club,” said Naeve. “From then, I started to compete at county, regional and most recently at national level at the Irish National Championships, where I won bronze in the 200m individual medley. I’m still a water baby through and through, which is down to Tamsin’s teaching and how she truly makes the Water Babies experience what it is.”
Water Babies teaches newborns, toddlers and pre-schoolers to swim. Using a comprehensive training curriculum, lessons are delivered in a fun and engaging way that mirrors and complements a child’s development.
In line with Tamsin’s ethos that her little swimmers and their parents are part of her Water Babies family, classes also offer an excellent opportunity for new parents to meet one another – as proven by Ali, Naeve’s mum, who is now a senior tutor at Water Babies.
“I knew it was important to enrol Naeve in Water Babies classes from an early age to ensure her confidence and safety in and around the water. However, being able to bond with like-minded mums and socialise with other families was also a bonus,” explained Ali. “Despite moving from the area, I still keep in contact with Tamsin and Gilian, another mum at the pool.”
Ashli Taylor, Gilian’s daughter who started swimming with Water Babies at the Northampton Hilton pool when she was four months old, credits her confidence in and around water to her mum enrolling her in classes from an early age.
“When I first started at Water Babies, I had a few wobbles, but the teaching and support from Tamsin helped me so much, and I soon loved every minute of it,” said Ashli. “I now feel super confident in the water and have enjoyed swimming my whole life. I don’t think I would be anywhere near as confident around the water if it weren’t for being introduced to the pool so young as a water baby.”
For Tamsin, the milestone was an opportunity to take stock of what her and her water babies have achieved over the past 18 years.
“It doesn’t seem possible that my first water babies have already grown into such talented and confident adults – I don’t know where the last 18 years have gone!” said Tamsin. “It’s so rewarding to hear how far my first swimmers have come, and I can't wait to find out where their swimming journey leads them next. I’m so proud to have helped nurture and develop such talented and confident adults and help parents and families connect over the past 18 years. Here’s to the next 18!”
For more information about swimming lessons with Water Babies Bucks and Beds, visit
https://www.waterbabies.co.uk/lp/baby-swimming/bucks-and-beds