Fareham toddler, three, stays safe in pool's deep water by using skills learned at swim school

Three-year-old Clara Bassett was on holiday in Greece last autumn with her family, when she found herself in trouble.

Mum and dad Jess and Andrew took their two children to stay in a private villa with two other friends and their families, with a pool to entertain the children.

Keen to encourage the children to enjoy the water safely, the parents warned the children not to go beyond the bottom step into the deeper water without an adult.

When Andrew was distracted for just a few seconds, having been bitten by an insect, Clara managed to venture off the bottom step.

In just a matter of seconds, the three-year-old was out of her depth.

Keeping calm, Clara managed to keep her face out of the pool by treading water with her legs, as taught in her swimming lessons at Everyone Active’s Fareham Leisure Centre.

This gave her the help she needed before Andrew jumped in just seconds later to help her out of the water.

Sammy Dowdell is Clara’s swim teacher at Fareham Leisure Centre in Park Lane.

She said: ‘This story really highlights the importance of swimming lessons. Clara is an extremely brave girl and thanks to her willingness during lessons, she was able to keep herself afloat when getting in a spot of trouble.

‘This situation really could happen to any family at any time, so it’s so crucial to enrol children into lessons as soon as possible.’

Mum Jess added: ‘We’re so proud of Clara and the skills she’s learned. The situation hasn’t affected her water confidence and she got straight back to her lessons when she was home.

‘I would urge any parents who are considering swimming lessons for their children to take action now, as the skills learnt are so invaluable.’