Latest news with #Swim
09-05-2025
- Health
A swimming coach in Nigeria provides inspiration and life lessons to disabled people
LAGOS, Nigeria -- About 20 children in shorts and vests gather at a swimming pool on a sweltering afternoon in Nigeria's economic hub of Lagos. A coach holds the hand of a boy who is blind as he demonstrates swimming motions and guides him through the pool while others take note. It was one of the sessions with students of the Pacelli School for the Blind and Partially Sighted, where Emeka Chuks Nnadi, the swimming coach, uses his Swim in 1 Day, or SID, nonprofit to teach swimming to disabled children. In a country where hundreds drown every year, often because of boat mishaps but sometimes as a result of domestic accidents, the initiative has so far taught at least 400 disabled people how to swim. It has also aided their personal development. 'It (has) helped me a lot, especially in class,' said 14-year-old Fikayo Adodo, one of Nnadi's trainees who is blind. 'I am very confident now to speak with a crowd, with people. My brain is sharper, like very great." The World Health Organization considers drowning as one of the leading causes of death through unintentional injury globally, with at least 300,000 people dying from drowning every year. The most at risk are young children. Many of the deaths occur in African countries like Nigeria, with limited resources and training to avert such deaths. In Nigeria — a country of more than 200 million people, 35 million of whom the government says are disabled — the challenge is far worse for disabled people who have less access to limited opportunities and resources in addition to societal stigma. While the initiative is raising awareness among the children about drowning, it benefits wider society in different ways, Nnadi said, especially 'if you want to have disabled people that are contributing to the economy and not just dependent on us as a society to take care of them.' Nnadi recalled setting up the nonprofit after moving back to Nigeria from Spain in 2022 and seeing how disabled people are treated compared to others. It was a wide gap, he said, and thought that teaching them how to swim at a young age would be a great way to improve their lives. 'There is a thing in Africa where parents are ashamed of their (disabled) kids,' he said. 'So (I am) trying to make people understand that your child that is blind could actually become a swimming superstar or a lawyer or doctor.' 'I find it rewarding (watching) them transform right under my eyes,' Nnadi said of the results of such lessons. Watching them take their lessons, some struggle to stay calm in the water and stroke their way through it, but Nnadi and the two volunteers working with him patiently guide them through the water, often leaving them excited to quickly try again. Some of them said that it gives them pleasure, while it is a lifesaving skill for some and it's therapy for others. Experts have also said that swimming can improve mental well-being, in addition to the physical benefits from exercising. 'Swimming (has) taught me to face my fears, it has (given) me boldness, it has given me courage, it has made me overcome my fears,' said 13-year-old Ikenna Goodluck, who is blind and among Nnadi's trainees. Ejiro Justina Obinwanne said that the initiative has helped her son Chinedu become more determined in life. 'He is selfless and determined to make something out of the lives of children that the world has written off in a lot of ways,' she said of Nnadi.
San Francisco Chronicle
09-05-2025
- Health
- San Francisco Chronicle
A swimming coach in Nigeria provides inspiration and life lessons to disabled people
LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — About 20 children in shorts and vests gather at a swimming pool on a sweltering afternoon in Nigeria's economic hub of Lagos. A coach holds the hand of a boy who is blind as he demonstrates swimming motions and guides him through the pool while others take note. It was one of the sessions with students of the Pacelli School for the Blind and Partially Sighted, where Emeka Chuks Nnadi, the swimming coach, uses his Swim in 1 Day, or SID, nonprofit to teach swimming to disabled children. In a country where hundreds drown every year, often because of boat mishaps but sometimes as a result of domestic accidents, the initiative has so far taught at least 400 disabled people how to swim. It has also aided their personal development. 'It (has) helped me a lot, especially in class,' said 14-year-old Fikayo Adodo, one of Nnadi's trainees who is blind. 'I am very confident now to speak with a crowd, with people. My brain is sharper, like very great." The World Health Organization considers drowning as one of the leading causes of death through unintentional injury globally, with at least 300,000 people dying from drowning every year. The most at risk are young children. Many of the deaths occur in African countries like Nigeria, with limited resources and training to avert such deaths. In Nigeria — a country of more than 200 million people, 35 million of whom the government says are disabled — the challenge is far worse for disabled people who have less access to limited opportunities and resources in addition to societal stigma. While the initiative is raising awareness among the children about drowning, it benefits wider society in different ways, Nnadi said, especially 'if you want to have disabled people that are contributing to the economy and not just dependent on us as a society to take care of them.' Changing a stereotype Nnadi recalled setting up the nonprofit after moving back to Nigeria from Spain in 2022 and seeing how disabled people are treated compared to others. It was a wide gap, he said, and thought that teaching them how to swim at a young age would be a great way to improve their lives. 'There is a thing in Africa where parents are ashamed of their (disabled) kids,' he said. 'So (I am) trying to make people understand that your child that is blind could actually become a swimming superstar or a lawyer or doctor.' 'I find it rewarding (watching) them transform right under my eyes,' Nnadi said of the results of such lessons. Lives are being transformed a stroke at a time Watching them take their lessons, some struggle to stay calm in the water and stroke their way through it, but Nnadi and the two volunteers working with him patiently guide them through the water, often leaving them excited to quickly try again. Some of them said that it gives them pleasure, while it is a lifesaving skill for some and it's therapy for others. Experts have also said that swimming can improve mental well-being, in addition to the physical benefits from exercising. 'Swimming (has) taught me to face my fears, it has (given) me boldness, it has given me courage, it has made me overcome my fears,' said 13-year-old Ikenna Goodluck, who is blind and among Nnadi's trainees. Ejiro Justina Obinwanne said that the initiative has helped her son Chinedu become more determined in life. 'He is selfless and determined to make something out of the lives of children that the world has written off in a lot of ways,' she said of Nnadi.
BBC News
06-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Henley Swim folds blaming water quality in River Thames
An open water swimming event firm says it has been forced to close down after the "relentless publicity" over water quality in the River Thames led to a massive drop in numbers entering its Swim has been running events on the River Thames for over 20 years, including the Henley Swim Festival and the Thames Marathon from Henley to company said efforts to join forces with other event organisers to try and save the business had failed leaving "no option" other than to abandon this year's events and close BBC has contacted Thames Water for comment. In a statement announcing its closure, Henley Swim said: "The relentless publicity about the quality of the water in the Thames has put thousands of people off the idea of open water swimming which has led to an unprecedented drop in the number of registrations."We are very grateful for the fantastic support of loyal and enthusiastic swimmers, volunteers and suppliers and we are so sorry that after 20 years Henley Swim has been forced to close down due to circumstances beyond our control."It added: "If appropriate you will hear from the administrator in due course." You can follow BBC Oxfordshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
Scotsman
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Chase Atlantic Glasgow Hydro Stage Times: Gig set times, support, tickets, setlist, age restrictions
The band are a long way from home. Sign up to our Arts and Culture newsletter, get the latest news and reviews from our specialist arts writers Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Formed in the Australian city of Cairns in 2014, R&B band Chase Atlantic consist of Christian Anthony and brothers Mitchel and Clinton Cave - with Mitchel and Christian first finding fame in the Australian version of reality talent show The X Factor. Chase Atlantic have a date with Glasgow. | Getty Images Best known for their 2017 hit single Swim, the have released seven EPs and four albums to date, most recently 2024's Lost in Heaven. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad They are currently on a huge world tour and there's good news for Scottish fans - with a date in Glasgow. Here's everything you need to know. When are Chase Atlantic playing Glasgow? Chase Atlantic play Glasgow's OVO Hydro on their UK tour on Wednesday, May 30. Who is supporting Chase Atlantic at their Glasgow gig? Chase Atlantic have not revealed who will be supporting them on their Glasgow date. On previous dates in their European tour they have welcomed local artists to join them, so you may just find your favourite new up-and-coming Scottish band at the gig. What are the stage times for Chase Atlantic in Glasgow? Doors open at 6.30pm and no further set times have been announced. Having said that, judging from similar gigs at the venue, expect support on at around 7.30pm and Chase Atlantic to play from around 9pm. The gig will finish by 11pm at the latest. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Are tickets still available for Chase Atlantic? If you've decided at the last minute that you'd like to go to the gig then you're in luck - there are still a few tickets left, with prices starting at £57.90. You can find them here. Are there any age restrictions at Chase Atlantic's Hydro gig? It's over-14s only in the standing sections for the Chase Atlantic gig, and over-8s in the seated areas. All under 16s must be accompanied by an adult over the age of 18. What is the likely Chase Atlantic setlist? Chase Atlantic are playing a near-identical setlist every night of their current tour. Expect to hear most - if not all - of the following in Glasgow:
BBC News
04-04-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
London 'inaccessible' to Gen Z says Last Swim director
The director of a new film set in a sweltering London over 24 hours on A-Level results day says that the city he grew up in is now "inaccessible" to many Gen Z young Swim, Sasha Nathwani's first feature film, is the story of an ambitious British Iranian teen, Ziba (played by Deba Hekmat), who, along with her group of friends savours a day of total freedom, as well as experiencing tough decisions and heartbreak, before the group go their separate ways after director tells the BBC that "the film was developed and made by Millennials, but it's a Gen Z coming of age story".He says his interest in making the film was exploring the idea of lost youth and that the script, co-written by producer Helen Simmons, was written at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, although filmed after restrictions ended. "It's not a pandemic film," he says, "but it was developed during that time when young people from all over the world were having the seminal years of their lives taken away."When Helen and I were writing it, the world was opening up and closing down, then opening up and closing down again. There was this pressure, and I remember seeing young people in the park, and thinking how must it be for them?"They all live with their parents, they've only got one day together, and tomorrow the world's going to close down again."So the question I was trying to pose with the film was, if you had one day to reclaim your youth, what would you do?" Nathwani, who's previously directed music videos as well as short films, says that it's his belief things have worsened for the young after Covid-19."I felt that the world was fraught when we were making it, when we were writing it, and now it's going out into the world, there's an argument that things are even worse now," he says."When I was 17 or 18, growing up in London, the city didn't feel inaccessible. It felt accessible, and I didn't feel like doors were being closed in my face."Now I don't even know how a young person has a 24-hour period of freedom without breaking the bank."He added: "We're in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis. Not only do things cost so much, but there just aren't opportunities. Education is challenging for lots of different reasons, and some people don't have access because of the exorbitant costs."You see that in the film, as Ziba and her friends are going their separate ways." Anxious about the future A 2023 study from Oxford University found that the mental health of young people had deteriorated during the UK's three Covid-19 lockdowns, compared with a similar study conducted before the the latest ONS (Office for National Statistics) figures found that around one in seven 16-24 year olds were not in work, education or training between October-December from the King's Trust charity from February 2025 found that most of the 16-25 year olds it had surveyed felt anxious about the future on a daily of the cast members of Last Swim are Gen Z, although Gangs of London actress Narges Rashidi also stars in the story, as Ziba's star Hekmat, a Kurdish British model and actor, was aged 21 when the film was made."As a generation, there have been things thrown at us, but also taken away," she says. "That's true of me, but when I look at my brothers, that's when my heart really goes out to the young. My brothers just turned 18 and 20 years old, they were going through adolescence during Covid, there so many changes in their personal and school life anyway, and then for all of that to happen."We're all still regrouping and refiguring ourselves out." 'Gen Z friendship' Filmed in the UK heatwave of 2022, Last Swim takes Ziba and her group of friends through well-known spots of London such as Portobello Road, Hampstead Heath and Primrose Hill by car, bike and publication Screen Daily said the film was "shot, one suspects, with a touch of guerrilla ingenuity... Last Swim also has a palpably improvised component in the friends' genially pitched running banter."The director agrees that the young cast had freedom to change the script "to make it as authentic as possible"."I think whenever you tell a story about young characters, you need to give them a certain amount of flexibility," Nathwani says."If there was a more natural way of delivering a line in a language that they would more authentically use, we would then write that into the script."And they were very good at challenging me as well. They would challenge me about choices that I and Helen had made on the page if they didn't feel it rang true of their characters.""This is Gen Z friendship on screen," adds Hekmat."Sasha says that his [Millennial] generation is the one of hard knocks and they didn't grow up with the idea that mental health needed to be considered in day to day lives," she says."I think a great way of seeing how connected this film is to Gen Z is just the friendship that me and the rest of the gang have together."They're not afraid to ask each other about their feelings and the boys aren't afraid to open up a bit more. I think it's really reflective of our friendships in the way that we are able to speak to each other." As independent cinema tries to seek a greater audience amongst the young post-Covid-19, Nathwani says he hopes his film captures the energy of youth, although tapping into some much harder emotions and decisions."That's the interesting thing about that strange time between school and further education, because the bond that you have with your friends from school will never be closer, tighter than it is during that summer," he explains."And the moment that summer ends, those bonds tend to break because people go in different directions. And just in the context of what's happening in the UK, but across the world too, I think that's really challenging for young people, more so than I think we envision." Last Swim is released in UK cinemas on 4 April, 2025.
