Exe Valley Leisure Centre has been recognised by the Amateur Swimming Association’s (ASA) Aquamark scheme for the quality if its swimming programme.

Exe Valley, which is run and owned by Mid-Devon District Council, started the application process for Aquamark accreditation in 2005 and after 18 months of hard work has recently achieved Approved status.

The ASA is the national governing body for swimming and Aquamark is its quality seal of approval for swimming lesson providers. It is an original and unique programme, designed specifically to help organisations providing swimming programmes to improve and enhance their service.

Comprising four modules, operators are assessed on areas such as Programme Operation, Staffing, Customer Relations and Policy and Strategy. To achieve top-level Premier accreditation, a lesson provider must pass all four criteria. To achieve Approved status it must pass two of the four criteria.

The centre has been formally working with the ASA since November 2006 and has implemented the governing body’s National Plan for Teaching Swimming and Kellogg’s ASA Awards Scheme. More than 1,200 people in Mid Devon receive the quality assured learn to swim programme at Exe Valley each week.

Exe Valley Leisure Centre Lesson Co-ordinator Martin Palk feels that the application process went smoothly and is pleased to achieve the status.

“The whole centre has felt a real boost since we were awarded the accreditation,” he said. “We have enjoyed success whilst working in partnership with the ASA and we look forward to more in the future.”

“The assessment went very well. We applied for the accreditation to show our customers we are providing a quality management system. Everyone at the centre is proud of our achievement and it has made all of our hard work worthwhile.”

Aquamark Assessor Roy Collins believes the centre has worked hard to achieve the accreditation and will work diligently to continue their success.

“I was pleased with the way the centre was run on a day-to-day basis,” he said. “They have a good supportive relationship with the council, which helps them to offer an excellent service.”

“The centre is very modern and provides a high level of customer care. I was particularly impressed with how patient and helpful the staff were.”

-ENDS-

For more information contact ASA Media Assistant Gemma Field on 01509 632262, 07917 726431 or email gemma.field@swimming.org

The Amateur Swimming Association is the English National Governing Body for Swimming, Diving, Water Polo, Open Water, and Synchronised Swimming. It organises competition throughout England, establishes the Laws of the Sport and operates comprehensive certification and education programmes for Teachers, Coaches and Officials as well as its renowned Learn To Swim Awards scheme. The ASA supports 1,600 affiliated swimming clubs through a National/Regional/County structure. The ASA aims to ensure everybody has an opportunity to learn to swim.

The Kellogg’s ASA Awards Scheme is the most successful awards scheme in British sport and issues around two million awards every year to swimmers all around the world.

For more information about ASA Awards please see www.swimming.org