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Bramley Baths was opened on the 17 October 1904 and was the last of eight bath houses to be built in Leeds at the time.
The Leeds and Yorkshire Mercury newspaper covered this prestigious event, which saw the Lord Mayor of the time opening the Baths.
He said:“Swimming was not only a healthful and splendid exercise, but it was almost a necessity and ought to be taught to everybody, “Without criticising the Education Department too severely…swimming is of far greater importance than many of the subjects taught.” (Laughter and applause from the crowd)”
Although we couldn’t possibly comment on the “greater importance” of swimming compared to other subjects, it has always been a vital lifesaving skill.
Bramley Baths remains committed to providing opportunities for everyone to learn to swim, particularly to its local community in Bramley.
But what does learning to swim look like today? We have come a long way from swimming lessons consisting of tying a rope around a person’s waist and gently pulling them along.
Jodie Milward has been swim school coordinator at the Baths for over four and half years. We caught up with her to find out exactly what the Baths has to offer for people starting to learn to swim and budding athletes alike.
“When I first arrived at the Baths, even with over 25 years’ experience in the leisure industry, I knew I had big shoes to fill – the Baths had built a reputation as being an exceptional provider of swimming lessons, but I had a vision to go even further in what we had to offer to our community,” Jodie said.
“The most important thing to emphasise to anyone learning to swim, is it’s imperative to build a positive relationship with the water.
“We often start slowly and let the students, particularly children, lead their journey of discovery and learning at their own pace, guided by our swim teachers who are dedicated, highly professional and bring their own expertise and styles of teaching.
“We have since increased our overall capacity for weekly swimming lessons, introduced swimming lessons specifically for three-year-olds, and most recently, we now have lessons specifically aimed at teenagers.
“We prioritise inclusion; continuously going above and beyond to ensure that everybody has the opportunity to access swimming lessons in a safe and inclusive space.
“The success of our swim school is not only measured through attendance and popularity, in more recent times we have seen students go onto compete at local and national levels as part of Leeds and Bradford swim clubs.
“In house, we provide progression routes to our Junior Triathlon group and even train lifeguards of the future through our Rookie Lifeguard program. Our current staff team includes young people that came to our swim school as babies – which is quite remarkable!”
So, what does the future hold for Bramley Baths?
As custodians of our amazing heritage building, which has enabled generations of families to learn to swim, it is a privilege to be able to continue the legacy of offering so many people the opportunity to learn a vital life skill and participate in such a highly regarded health and wellbeing activity.
Currently, we are accepting new students across our swim school, with places now available to book. We are also looking at different ways that we can teach the basics and fundamentals of swimming through high energy play sessions – more details to come
- If you would like to learn more about Bramley Baths swim school, please contact 0113 256 0949, email hello@bramleybaths.com or pop in and chat to one of their friendly reception team.