A MUM-OF-TWO jumped into a swimming pool fully clothed and while carrying her one-year-old daughter when she saw her son struggling.
Peacehaven resident Joleigh Marchant was watching her son, Ronny Sadler, at a swimming lesson at the David Lloyd club at Brighton Marina when she noticed that he was having problems.
The 27-year-old said: “He had just swam a couple of lengths with his swimming teacher and then he was holding on to the side of the pool.
“He waved to me for a well done and his other hand slipped.”
She was sitting on the poolside, about four feet away, and was quick to react.
Joleigh said: “He was splashing around but then the splashing stopped and he went under.
“I ran over but he was too far away to reach, so I jumped into the pool with my daughter still in my arms and dragged him out.”
She hugged Ronny and reassured him.
Joleigh said: “Ronny was shaken up afterwards, he really didn’t want to go back in the water.
“Me and his swimming instructor managed to persuade him to finish his lesson, because I didn’t want him to be scared of the water in the future.”
She jumped in while still holding her daughter, Amalie Sadler, but was able to keep her out of the water.
Joleigh added: “Staff watched the CCTV of what happened and when they came back they said that I should not have gone in after him and that the swimming instructor and lifeguard were moving but I got there beforehand.
“But, as a mother, it’s natural to go in after your child if they’re in danger.”
A spokesman for David Lloyd Clubs said: “Health and safety of our members is our number one priority, and we are sorry to hear of this member’s concerns.
“We fully appreciate that it can be concerning to a parent or guardian if their child not a confident swimmer, but want to reassure them that our instructors and lifeguards are fully trained and will act swiftly when necessary.
“We have fully investigated the incident and reviewed the CCTV footage, and are satisfied that the instructor and lifeguards were following all of our strict safety processes.
“They were supervising the group carefully at the time and were very fast in their response to the situation. The child was checked by our team immediately after the incident and found to be fine, and carried on with his lesson at his request and with his mother’s agreement.”
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