Sarah's swimming aid to keep adults a-'Fleaut'

As a competitive swimmer and local coach Sarah Newcombe is perhaps better placed than most to design a swimming aid for adult beginners. The 20-year-old Industrial Marketing student at the University of Teesside won her first swimming competition at nine and manages to coach and teach swimming at Stokesley Leisure Centre in between her studies.

Current swimming aids on the market are aimed at children beginners, which are not appropriate for adults. Sarah, from Faceby, said: "Adults have different coaching requirements to children. Confidence is an issue with both groups but more so for adults as children have no preconceived fears. Getting people to keep their feet off the floor is the main problem for learner swimmers and this is where my prototype, The Fleaut, helps."

Sarah's swimming aid is a 1m column made from and polyethelane foam foot rests and top float with three varying height foots rests and a buoyant float on top of the column to keep the aid vertical in the water. As the learner gets more confident they progress up the foot rests until they are in the correct streamlined body position.

Sarah's work will be included in the Design Degree Show at the University of Teesside's Main Hall which is open from 19-21 June from 9am-5pm. For more details on the exhibition please contact Helen Smith in the School of Law, Arts & Humanities on 01642 384052.

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