Baby Rosie's first swim inspires mum to launch classes for tots in Milton Keynes

Gemma Carr is running the specialist baby-led classes Turtle Tots, which start gently with water confidence and move through to basic strokes and techniques.

The classes will be held at Woughton Leisure Centre with half-hour sessions on Thursday mornings from June 21 and on Sunday afternoons from June 24 for both babies and toddlers. The baby programme level is from three months (or younger in a body warmer) to 12-14 months, and toddler level 1 is from 14 months to four years, depending on experience. The cost is £13.50 per session and terms run for 10 weeks.

In the future Gemma hopes to offer aqua-natal yoga classes for women which promote physical and mental wellbeing during pregnancy and birth.

Gemma, who has undergone intensive training, says it is one of the warmest pools in the area, and she is looking to secure further warm water pools as the business grows.

Gemma has been a keen swimmer since the age of two and in her youth competed for Coventry, so she was keen to get her baby daughter Rosie, aged eight months, into the water as soon as possible.

She took Rosie along to Turtle Tots when she was just five weeks old and was so impressed by the unique programme that she decided to become the licencee for both Milton Keynes and Bedfordshire.