Children should be able to pack up their kids' swimwear and take a short trip to a pool in their local area.

This is according to Jane Short, the founder of First Stroke Swimming School in Bristol, who told the Evening Post that too many of the city's leisure centres are closing.

She fears that many youngsters will not be given the chance to learn a vital skill and lamented the fact the Oasis Academy is to be pulled down in July.

Ms Short also underlined how taking sports facilities away from kids when there is a national child obesity crisis is short-sighted.

"Swimming is an important skill to have and to have the appropriate safety knowledge and health benefits that go with it. Schools should put more value in it," she remarked.

One youngster who has recently underlined how packing up the kids' swimwear and heading to the pool can be good for little ones' health is Peterborough youngster Louis Greaves.

The nine-year-old told the Daily Mail he loves getting exercise from his swimming sessions.

Posted by Samantha KellyADNFCR-3005-ID-19698845-ADNFCR