Baby swimming can be a wonderful shared experience for all the family. From the first splashes in the bath to confidently diving under, babies delight in the freedom and fun that water provides. Warm water promotes relaxation and little babies enjoy floating peacefully on their backs often gazing up into their parent’s eyes. The more playful older babies and toddlers are jumping and splashing and joining in with many songs and activities. Babies develop water confidence and specific skills to move towards independent swimming, through the carefully developed swim programme.
We teach the Birthlight gentle 'Water Parenting' approach where parent and baby can truly experience the joy of moving in the water together.
Sally Lomas, director of the swim school, has been running swimming classes in the Cambridge area for 20 years. Sally's experience as an International Baby and Toddler swimming and Aqua Yoga tutor ensures high standards of teaching and a welcoming swim team. The connection between Joyful Babies Yoga and Joyful Dolphin Swim creates a supportive journey through parenting on land and in the water too.
"I took both my daughters to Joyful Dolphin and I can't praise them highly enough. The staff are lovely and friendly, and the lessons are great fun. My girls love being in the water, and it has been wonderful to watch them grow in confidence and develop their first swimming skills. Thank you so much!"Hannah Hearn
Teachers
Sally Lomas
Teacher & Swim School Director
Sally Lomas was born in London and has since lived and worked in the UK, Australia and California. She trained originally at West Surrey College of Art and opened a shop in London, which successfully traded in silks and textile design for many years. With the birth of her first child in 1988 Sally became interested in yoga and inspired to move into the specialised world of birth and babies. Finding the inspiration From Active Birth and Birthlight classes she starting teaching Pregnancy and Baby Yoga and then moved as well into the world of Aqua yoga and Baby Swimming. She has four children and is based in Cambridge UK whilst formerly travelling internationally to tutor Birthlight teacher trainings abroad.
Professional connections include training teachers for STA, Sure Start, Touch Learn, Kids Unlimited, Calmababy, Rainbow Kids and Turtle Tots. Sally is also a qualified Montessori teacher and councillor and has many years experience working with pregnant women, parents and babies.
Sally still enjoys teaching locally and continues to care passionately about supporting women and their families through the journey of pregnancy, birth and parenting.
Salima Vivian
Swim Teacher
All through my own childhood and to this day swimming has always been such a joy for me and I look forward to sharing that joy with all our swimming family.
I began my teaching journey helping on poolside, to then training to become a swimming teacher. It has been such a pleasure to watch the growth in confidence and development of all the children who swim with us. I love to share my enthusiasm and pass on our learning skills to you and your family.
Mollie Sims
Swim Teacher
From a young age I always enjoyed swimming and being in the water, and I had always thought of becoming a life guard when I was old enough.
I joined Joyful Dophin initially as a lifeguard and I just loved how I could see both children and parent’s confidence grow in the water. It was wonderful to see a different, more sensitive approach to introducing children to the water! During my time with Joyful Dolphin I have had the pleasure of assisting several teachers, learning new things from each of them. It's so exciting and satisfying now that I am a qualified swimming teacher too.
Katie Doggett
Swim Teacher
I was a keen swimmer throughout childhood but my interests in other sports meant I drifted away from swimming.
I went into childcare and became a nanny which I have done for 14 years, this is where my love for swimming resurfaced. I taught a lot of my nanny children to swim over the years and just enjoyed spending time in the pool with them. I then went on to have my own children, the eldest of which I taught to swim at a very young age and from that I decided teaching was the route I was meant to go down.
I have been on poolside with Joyful Dolphin for the last term and have loved witnessing the bonds between children and their adults visibly develop weekly and I look forward to being part of their swimming journey.
Leonie Roques
Swim Teacher
From a very young age I have loved being in the water, whether it be a lake, the sea or a swimming pool and that joy for swimming continues to this day. I am hugely passionate about all things health and wellbeing, which led me to run my own Personal Trainer business I Devon where I specialised in pre/post natal fitness and bariatrics.
My career shift to become a Swimming Teacher was inspired by my own children. Over the years I have sat poolside watching many lessons, watching children learn and teacher's teach and it ignited my love for teaching. Swimming is such an important skill and I'd love to be part of the journey in inspiring children (and their adults) to feel confident and safe in the water.
Alys Roberts
Swim Teacher
Like most of the other teachers at Joyful Dolphin I too began my teaching journey by assisting poolside at the grove. I have loved getting to know the little swimmers over the last year and can’t wait to join them in the water. My passion for learning and teaching has lead me in many directions, working with children and young people across the world. When I’m not at the pool, I am currently studying towards my PhD in education.
Becky Talbot
Aqua Yoga Teacher
I am a recognised Birth Doula and antenatal teacher as well as being an Aqua Yoga teacher.
I find women and babies, birth and pregnancy awe inspiring and believe it is the most wonderful thing to bring a new little person into the world. I have had the joy of supporting many women and their partners to navigate this exciting and sometimes bewildering experience in their family’s lives.
Lisa Hall
Swim Teacher
I was inspired to become a teacher following my own experience of connecting with my daughter during Birthlight swim classes. I then saw other parents were having the same special experience in the water, reading their little ones and having fun building confidence together, and I thought - this is pretty magical!
I have three year's experience teaching and love swimming outdoors - preferably in the rain!