A COLCHESTER business is looking to make a huge splash after securing office spaces and funding worth thousands of pounds following a competition.

Mini Swim Stars, a company which teaches children to swim, has won an office space and a business support package worth £8,000. 

The competition was run by the Colchester Business Enterprise Agency (Colbea) to mark its 40th anniversary and saw the firm scoop the John Russell Award.

The special prize opened to businesses this year in recognition of the milestone and to pay tribute to John Russell and his long service.

Three businesses were subsequently shortlisted to pitch to a judging panel for prizes, including the main award of a virtual office package for a year and business support. 

HR Prime from Clacton came second and another Colchester-based business, Graph Solutions, came third. 

John Russell became the director of Colbea in 1987 and was its president for ten years until 2022. 

He said: “It was an honour to be part of the judging process and hear just what a difference this support prize would make to young businesses. 

“All entries were compelling, but Mini Swim Stars stood out as a worthy winner, with exciting plans for expansion across Essex as part of its mission to enable access to swimming for all school-age children.” 

Wasting no time, Clare Beckett, the founder of Mini Swim Stars, has already moved into the new office space, having been bunning the business from her home.

She said: “We have big plans for growth and employing local people. We are really focusing on growing our Your School Pool programme, where we take portable pools into schools.

"It’s a shocking fact that more than half of all school children can’t swim, and it's not helped by the fact that so many schools don’t have access to pools. 

“Through our schools programme, we bring the pool to the school. We deliver and install a heated temporary swimming pool that the school rents and we also supply all the equipment and the teaching staff to run lessons.

"We can help all those children who can’t swim and open the space up for the community too.

"One in three adults are also unable to swim and having a local pool with private lessons makes learning accessible.” 

Mrs Beckett now hopes to see swim schools established in schools across Essex.

Currently, her company is supporting a community swimming pool renovation project at Alresford Primary School, which is due to open in September next year.