A busy month that sees some positive changes

We are always looking at ways to improve the GUST experience for both parents and children and are delighted to be welcoming new staff on board who we just know all our customers, and especially children, will love.

GUST has never stood still, one of the reasons so many people – of all ages! – love coming back again and again, and as we head further into what is an extremely exciting year for us, we’re unveiling more new faces, adding their expertise and personality to the GUST family. They’re raring to go – come down and say hello!

At GUST, we are always seeking to improve and are therefore terrifically proud to have been named one of only two Swimming Teachers’ Association (STA) approved training centres in the UK.

We are so incredibly proud to have been granted the STA’s Safety Training Awards Approved Training Centre status.

An ATC is any business, organisation or tutor which has the required resources and competence to deliver, tutor, assess and quality assure qualifications whilst meeting the STA’s approval criteria.

Becoming an ATC with Safety Training Awards allows us to implement a robust model of internal and external quality assurance on the qualifications we deliver which will ensure they remain at the highest standards, gaining public confidence in the courses our centre delivers.

This is a massive achievement for GUST and one which we have worked really hard for in recent months. We can train our staff in-house and other organisations can come in and train at GUST too.

With the new-build for the second pool starting on April 9, our capacity for training will be vastly increased. Some people’s eyebrows shoot-up when we say we hope to be finished by beginning of September, if not before! We know it doesn’t sound long but we built the first pool in a similar timeframe. The new pool will obviously offer new opportunities for the staff to do more as well. We have a great team and it’s brilliant to see them share in our excitement.

Safety is always our number one priority at GUST and our mission is always to extend knowhow as far and wide as we can. That’s why, in the coming months, we are putting on coffee afternoons where parents can come along for free, have a coffee, and learn the basics of first aid, such as what to do if a child is choking or how to do perform CPR on a baby. It’s great for mums to learn that knowledge – more than that it’s absolutely invaluable.

These will be intimate groups – only about ten mums at a time, so please let us know if you are interested.

The week commencing April 9th also sees GUST’s Fantasy Week. Come along and help us raise money for the AEDdonate, the Stone-based charity committed to improving survival from out of hospital cardiac arrest, supporting the placement and use of automated external defibrillators in local communities.

Fantasy Week will involve games and fancy dress at the pool. Children can come along dressed as princes, princesses, whatever they want and any donations would be welcome towards a defibrillator outside our Centre of Excellence.

Last year we held a nautical week – a lot of pirates and plenty of treasure – with instructors suitably dressed up in the pool.

If Fantasy Week is half as good, it will be tremendous fun for all.

Looking forward to seeing you at GUST soon.