The article below appeared in the 'East Anglian Daily Times' April 23rd, 2001. It is only one of many articles about SWIMMERS. We are happy to supply copies of the original articles for those who would like to read more.

When Jane Roberts started teaching people to swim she didn’t realize how soon she would become a therapist. The sheer panic that prevents someone from standing (yes standing) in the shallow end calls for a whole lot more than yelling instructions from the sidelines.

"It’s a whole new learning process", says Jane, who took up the cause about seven years ago and has since taught about 1,400 people to swim bringing fun and confidence to their lives. Her method of using one-to-one tuition in private pools has given people such as Sue Stallard of Norwich the confidence to get started. Sue wanted to surprise her children and in just six lessons, went from the dread of getting her face wet to swimming across the pool virtually unaided. It took immense courage, was emotionally exhausting but finally exhilarating.

Sue is fairly typical of the people who come to Jane.

"One of the major things is people who can’t put their faces in the water," she explains. "Some won’t even have a shower or have their hair washed. You have to understand the fear that paralyzes them."

Jane, who has some 20 years experience as a swimming coach, will not contemplate failure (‘If you think you’ll fail, you will"). She reckons to be able to teach the most die-hard hydrophobe to swim in six 50 minute lessons.

"People of all ages have attended the courses and most leave able to swim a minimum of a width by the end of a course – often the equivalent of conquering Everest," she says.

Before her clients embark on the course she sends them a form to describe their experience.

"Not really afraid, just can’t swim", is a typical statement. "Yet when they get to the pool, they’re petrified," said Jane. "Some are in tears, they shake, or they feel sick,"

This is where Jane’s counseling skills come in. She respects people’s fears and articulates them, making then feel they are not alone. "I’m very, very gentle with people and give them lots of support in the water where it matters. It’s all about being relaxed. Life is so busy and tense."

Claustrophobia is a bigger problem than many people think and is often the reason larger classes fail people. "More people have trouble with breathing and relaxing than anything else. Yet in large classes all the emphasis tends to be on the strokes." And there are lots of bad experiences, like the man who had two helicopter accidents and fell into the water both times. "During the lesson it all came back," says Jane.

Richard Howard from Sudbury who was in my ‘Swim Better’ Improvers class, had a terrifying ordeal at middle school when he got stuck under water and actually battled his way out of the pool by walking.

"That was scary," he says. After that it took courage to trust the water but under Jane’s watchful eye he was soon able to swim a length of the private pool. "I’ve had no other lessons so it’s hard to make a judgment but Jane creates a very good atmosphere in the pool which helps a lot. She tells you the same every time and is consistent".

A 35-year-old family man with three children agreed 8, 5 and 2, he will benefit enormously from his newfound skill.

Both Sue and Richard showed that children can be a catalyst and Jane says the arrival of grandchildren can sometimes trigger a determination to overcome fear of the water.

Michael Roberts from Thetford wrote to thank her, saying "I recently went on holiday to Center Parcs at Longleat with my family and it was a great joy to be able to swim with my grandchildren. I’ve never had so much fun, well, almost never…".

For Jane, the large bundles of thank you messages are immensely moving and rewarding. "You’re an angel" wrote Ken Raines of Bury St Edmunds. One couple even took out an advert in the newspaper which read "Grateful thanks to Jane from 2 + OAP’s, non swimmers to successful swimmers in six hours."

Kitty Best of Cockfield was taught by Jane Davies, one of Jane’s specially trained instructors. "I still have to conquer my fear of that wretched deep end but I am getting there" she wrote. "If anyone had told me the sort of things I would be doing these past few hours – swimming underwater, snorkeling, handstands and somersaults – I would have laughed and said ‘in your dreams!’"

Another man, aged 70, had never been in a pool in his life. "Now he swims as well as dances regularly and wishes he’d done it 50 years ago", said Jane.

On the other hand, her database contains at least 1,500 inquires from people who have yet to pluck up the courage to book. "They are not ready to face that fear yet," says Jane. "They can’t be pushed". That’s why she can’t take a booking unless she speaks to the person directly.

Jane is a great believer in the health, weight and fitness benefits of swimming but is also concerned that people miss out in sunny holiday destinations.

"Not being able to swim doesn’t prevent people going on holiday but it stops them from enjoying the hotel pool or the sea when they get there", says Jane.