WATER NIPPERS ARE DIVING INTO THE AREA.

Water holds enormous attraction for children and gives them such great fun, it really is important to make sure they can swim from an early age. Babies will love splashing about and can swim under water, while most children will be ready to swim from the age of around two-and-half.

At Water Nippers they only take children under five years old. Classes are divided into two, since some of the children have already been to Little Dippers, were they have been swimming under water, while others have never swum before. Safety comes first so, even before he learns to swim each child is taught how to surface and float on his back. This means he knows what to do if he ever falls into a pond or pool.

The teaching environment is excellent. There are never more than six children in a group and all classes are held in special hydrotherapy pool, such as Henry House in Worthing and RAFA Centre in Storrington. A well-qualified teacher who has a ASA teacher's certificate always gets in the pool with them and mothers go with babies.

By the time children are five they will have learnt how to doggie paddle, do backstroke and even crawl. Many of them have their 5 and 10 metre badges when they leave. Teaching children not to be afraid of water at a very early age builds confidence and stamina - to find out more just give Water Nippers a ring on 01825 767776.

Safety, confidence and enjoyment are the three buzz words at Water Nippers

It is vitally important to teach children respect and safe conduct in and around water thus ensuring a calm reaction to any unforeseen situations. By teaching children in small groups Water Nippers makes learning fun and enables them to explore the water without fear. Swimming saves lives, improves strength, fitness, body co-ordination, stamina and social skills.

When a three year old swims a distance of 5 metres unaided and then asks if they can do diving today, you know they are safe, confidant and enjoying themselves.

Take some pretty young girls, a roll of lino and a few beads, and you get…LITTLE MERMAIDS

They glide elegantly through the water, their silvery tails swaying behind them.

These little mermaids could have swum straight out of an enchanted lagoon in a Hans Christian Anderson story.

In fact, their surroundings are no more magical than a Sussex swimming pool and the whole effect is due to the imagination of leading underwater photographer Zena Hollaway.

She works with the Water Safety Group, which offers mothers the chance to introduce very young children to water. The youngsters reminded Zena of mermaids, so she decided all she needed to do was give them tails and one of childhood's favorite stories could be recreated.

Easier said than done - it took a week of breaking sewing machine needles and testing with fabrics in the bath. In the end some lino from Homebase covered with material from the market and John Lewis, was found to be perfect and stitched together to make three tails - small, medium, and large. Ten girls aged two to six from the Water Nippers class in Uckfield were selected to take part. "I gave them the tails and then all the little mermaid extras such as pearls, crowns, shells and bracelets," says Zena.

"I thought it was going to be difficult to get them into the tails but there was more danger of a scrap breaking out as everyone wanted the tails for themselves."

The photographs will form part of a book Zena is compiling on the little mermaids, due to be published in France next year by Editions Hors Collections.