Kettering Borough Council and Parkwood Leisure have teamed up to offer free swimming lessons to non swimmers at Kettering Swimming Pool this summer.

The Amateur Swimming Association-funded scheme will provide target groups of up to twelve people, including people aged over sixty and those aged over 16 years from ethnic minorities or on low incomes, with five blocks of six-hour lessons.

Cllr Russell Roberts, KBC's portfolio holder for the community, said: "The free swimming scheme has proven really popular in Kettering with 8,000 free of charge visits having been made since 1 April.

"We hope that by offering free swimming lessons to non swimmers we will be able to remove another barrier faced by people who want to swim but feel they can't."

If deemed successful, the scheme will continue into the autumn.