Weekly swimming lessons and hair care workshops for young people aged [5–16] in foster, kinship, special guardianship care or deemed vulner

Learning to swim, without leaving your identity at the door.

Crown & Current is a year-long swimming and hair care programme in Leicester for young people in foster, kinship and special guardianship care, and the carers who look after them.

Too many Black and Global Majority children never learn to swim. The reasons are practical as much as cultural: what chlorine does to Afro-textured hair, how long it takes to wash and restyle afterwards, swim caps that don't fit locs or braids, and the quiet sense that the pool isn't a place for you. Crown & Current takes those reasons seriously instead of treating them as excuses.

So alongside the lessons, young people and their carers learn how to protect and care for hair around swimming. By the end, a young person should be able to get in the water and know exactly how to look after their hair afterwards.

What's included

40 weeks of swimming lessons with qualified instructors, in small groups

10 hair care workshops for young people and carers, covering protective styles and managing Afro-textured and mixed-texture hair

5 family splash sessions during the school holidays

A goodie bag for every young person

Who it's for

Young people aged [5–16] who are in foster, kinship or special guardianship care[, and other children and young people who are vulnerable or would benefit from extra support]. All abilities are welcome, from complete beginners who have never been in a pool to confident swimmers who want to build on what they have.

Carers and parents are welcome to come along, and the hair workshops are designed for you as much as for the young person.

When and where

Thursdays at 6pm, starting Thursday 22 October 2026

New Parks Leisure Centre, St Oswalds Road, Leicester LE3 6RJ.

How to register

Register your interest here, or on our website:

https://www.blackfostercarersalliance.co.uk/crown-and-current-register

Registering doesn't commit you to a place. It tells us you're interested so we can send you joining details. Places are limited to [40] young people.

About Black Foster Carers Alliance

BFCA is a national Community Interest Company supporting foster, kinship and special guardianship carers, with a particular focus on Black and Global Majority families. We're carer-led and social work qualified.

Questions: 0800 001 6230 or hello@blackfostercarersalliance.co.uk

[Funded by Sport England.]

Description supplied by the event organiser.