● About
Why The Flipper Club?
Jump in and have fun! That’s what we want for our swimmers - that unbridled joy of making a splash, the confidence to make the leap and the swim skills to enjoy it without fear.
Our small group classes and 1:1 swimming lessons are tailored to the swimmers - supporting them to develop and thrive in the water.
We teach from age 2yrs upwards all the way through to adults, so wherever you are or your child is on their swimming journey - we’re here for you!
● Our Story
What we’re all about
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Positivity
A smile and positive energy go along way and our teachers bring the vibes to the pool, creating a safe and friendly environment to learn to swim in.
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Inclusivity
We want everyone to feel they can come to the pool to learn to swim and not be held back by any barriers - age, ability, ethnicity, disability…
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Inspiration
Our teachers are swimmers and we want to lead by example - enjoying the water recreationally, competing in masters, channel swimming…
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Home
We are home for swimming in Reigate - a safe, supportive environment where swimmers can be themselves and learn at their own pace.
● Where it started…
Meet The Flipper Club founder
Christine Addison founded The Flipper Club in 1991. With her energy, drive, passion for swimming and inclusivity, Christine created more than just a swim school - she created a swimming home - a place that children and adults alike can feel comfortable, supported, have the freedom to develop at their own pace and to feel inspired to progress.
Christine grew up by the sea and her love for the sport brought her full circle - learning to swim in the sea, teaching in the pools and then back to the ocean to become an English Channel swimmer in 2008. The Channel was one of many ultra endurance swims that Christine completed, inspiring others with every swim and every stroke... including Amanda Sharples, who took over The Flipper Club in 2020.
To this day, Amanda and Christine swim together regularly and Christine continues to mentor Amanda through her own personal swim journey, whilst sharing the love for swimming and The Flipper Club - the home for swimming in Reigate.
Amanda is the owner of The Flipper Club since 2020 and it’s been her mission to nurture the swim school culture that was created by Christine. Having also been a Dunottar School student as a young girl, teaching at Dunottar certainly feels like coming home!
Leading by example, Amanda hopes to inspire swimmers to do and be more than they thought they could be. She swam the English Channel in 2023 and continues to swim ultra endurance distances. And it all starts with the pool… Amanda was a Surrey swimmer as a girl and having dabbled in different sports, came back to swimming and found The Flipper Club when her 3 boys were toddlers. It was from there that she changed her career path and became a swimming teacher.
Who we are today
“Swim teaching wasn’t just a career choice it was a life choice… Swimming has opened up so many opportunities with the adventures it takes me on, the focus for training towards big swims, having my boys involved in the swim school as swimmers, helpers and lifeguards. And the swim community is a beautiful thing! From the fabulous parents of swim school, to the kids, the teachers and helpers, as well as, the wider open water swim community that I love. I feel very lucky indeed and hope to inspire others to enjoy the water too.”
Amanda :-)
