How Freedom Leisure Enhanced Learn to Swim at Waterworld with CoursePro
Better service. Less admin. Stronger family
experience. Greater programme control.
“We’ve been able to standardise and lift the level of service across the whole of our Learn to Swim programme.”
– Felicity Griffiths, General Manager
Introduction
At Waterworld Leisure & Activity Centre, operated by Freedom Leisure in partnership with Wrexham County Borough Council, delivering an exceptional Learn to Swim programme means balancing multiple priorities every single day.
Waterworld is one of Wrexham’s best-known leisure destinations, offering something for the whole community. The centre features a 6-lane swimming pool, adult and children’s swimming lessons, a 65-metre slide, rapids, a fitness suite, group fitness classes, Les Mills classes, a MyRide cycling studio, birthday parties and a Costa Coffee café.
It is a busy, multi-purpose facility serving families, swimmers, fitness members and the wider local community.
Three pools run continuous swimming lessons while still welcoming public swimmers. Families expect convenience. Teachers need clarity. Managers need visibility. Young swimmers need confidence, progress and encouragement. That level of operation is no small task.
But by embracing CoursePro, the team has transformed how they deliver swimming lessons, communicate with families and manage programme growth.
This is their story.
The Challenge
Before moving to CoursePro, many core processes were manual, time-consuming and harder to scale. Parents had to visit the centre in person and complete paper forms to join swimming lessons.
Quarterly paper progress reports had to be written for every child.
Lesson programming lacked visual clarity.
Waiting lists were manual.
Customer communication relied heavily on staff time.
As demand increased, the need for a smarter, more connected system became clear.
“We thought it was crazy that people had to come in and fill out a physical piece of paper in order to join our swimming lessons. It was creating a barrier. CoursePro online joining brought us into the 21st century.”
– Linos Walker, Systems Manager
The Move to CoursePro
The decision was made to modernise the Learn to Swim experience for families while giving the team stronger operational control behind the scenes.
That included:
• Online joining from home
• Digital teacher registers
• Parent progress portals
• Automated communications
• Better reporting
• Easier lesson planning
• Improved payment visibility
• Stronger waiting list management
The result was immediate progress and long-term opportunity.
Results at Glance
Key Outcomes Achieved
• Removed paper joining forms
• Digital progress reporting replacing quarterly paper reports
• One family login for swimming lessons and gym membership
• Parents able to track progress anytime
• Better visibility of lesson capacity and demand
• Faster operational reporting
• Automated waiting list notifications
• Missed payment alerts for staff and instructors
• Reduced refund costs through replacement session functionality
• Expanded programme from Splash & Bubble to Adult Learn to Swim
•Added one-to-one swimming lessons
• More consistent customer experience across the programme
A Better Experience for Families
Today, families can join online, manage bookings, and track progress without needing to visit reception. That convenience matters.
“We wanted people to be able to join from the comfort of their own home, and now we have that.ˮ
– Llinos Walker, Systems Manager
The team also kept personal service available.
“If they prefer to come and speak to us face to face, then they still can do that.ˮ
– Llinos Walker, Systems Manager
The team also kept personal service available.
“Iʼve got children on our swimming lessons, and what I like about the Home Portal is I can log in anytime I want and view progress for both of my children on one account. Itʼs also the same account I use for my gym membership, so itʼs literally one login for the whole leisure centre for me and my family.ˮ
– Llinos Walker
Less Paper. More Progress.
One of the biggest operational changes has been moving away from paper processes.
“One of the real game changers with CoursePro is how
much paper it removed from our operation.ˮ
– Llinos Walker
Previously:
Paper registers updated every term
Paper reports written every quarter
Admin-heavy communication processes
Slower access to progress information
Now:
Teachers use tablets poolside
Parents view progress week by week
Skills and stage percentages are visible online
Reports are available instantly
“Parents are not waiting until the end of a term. They can see progress week to week as their child progresses through the stage.ˮ
– Llinos Walker
Smarter Decisions Through Better Visibility
Managing multiple pools and continuous lessons requires clear oversight.
CourseProʼs visual lesson grid and reporting tools now help the team make faster, better-informed decisions.
“It was always difficult to visualise where the lessons were in the pool.
The good thing with CoursePro is itʼs very visual.ˮ
– Llinos Walker
“Itʼs like a grid of your days and times, and theyʼre colour-coded. It made
it so much easier to have an overview of whatʼs in the pool and where.ˮ
– Llinos Walker
This helps answer key commercial questions quickly:
Where are spaces available?
Which stages need extra classes?
Where is demand increasing?
How should pool space be allocated?
Improved Revenue Protection
Payment issues that once slipped through manual processes are now visible immediately.
“CoursePro highlights to us if somebodyʼs payment has defaulted or if there is an issue with their membership.ˮ
– Llinos Walker
Even instructors can support the process face to face.
“It also highlights that to the instructors, who are more likely to see the people face to face, so theyʼre able to send them to the desk first.ˮ
– Llinos Walker
This creates faster resolution, stronger payment control and a smoother customer journey.
Saving Thousands Through Flexibility
Unexpected closures used to mean widespread lesson refunds.
Now replacement sessions help protect revenue while giving customers fair alternatives
“The recurring sessions we started using earlier this year have saved us thousands.ˮ
– Llinos Walker
“If we needed to close through no fault of our own, instead of refunds we can offer replacement sessionsat any centre, any day, any time.ˮ
– Llinos Walker
Growing the Programme
CoursePro has also supported expansion.
“Weʼve been able to expand our Learn to Swim programme from Splash and Bubble lessons all the way up into Adult Learn to Swim.ˮ
– Felicity Griffiths
Additional enhancements include:
- Welcome packs
- Trigger emails
- Badge notifications
- Class movement alerts
- One-to-one lesson management
- Objective tracking for teachers
“It creates a really consistent high level of service that people know theyʼre going to receive whichever lesson theyʼre on.ˮ
– Felicity Griffiths
More Than Swimming Lessons
For Felicity, the impact goes beyond software.
It is about confidence, safety and life-changing progress.
“Whether itʼs a three-year-old, a five-year-old or even an adult non-swimmer, there is nothing better than seeing the moment they finally swim unaided for the first time.ˮ
– Felicity Griffiths
“They come in nervous and not wanting to let go of your hands. Then they reach the stage where they can swim independently.
That is why I do what I do.ˮ
– Felicity Griffiths
The Swim Wales syllabus also builds life-saving skills into every stage.
“Weʼre not just teaching swimming. Weʼre teaching what to do at the beach, in a river or canal, and how to signal for help.ˮ
– Felicity Griffiths
What stands out first isnʼt the pools. Itʼs the people.
During our visit to Waterworld Leisure & Activity Centre, one of our team loved meeting this inspiring lady Felicity Griffiths alongside experienced – Richard, Area Manager and knowledgeable – Llinos, Systems Officer.
The passion for customer service and helping people learn to swim was clear from the moment we were welcomed.
With three pools running continuous lessons while still welcoming public swimmers, theyʼve created a fantastic balance between structured swim programmes and true community access and we know thatʼs no small operational task.
At Waterworld, technology has not replaced great people.
It has empowered them.
CoursePro has helped the team reduce admin, modernise customer experience, improve control, grow the programme and keep the focus where it belongs:
Helping more people learn a life skill that matters.
