British Swim School Founder Rita Goldberg passed away on Jan. 7, leaving a deep legacy in water safety that spans multiple continents.
A former swimmer who earned Olympic Trials cut times, Goldberg was teaching swimming education in Manchester, England, before she founded British Swim School in 1981. She had been teaching swimming education in the city. To start the school, she sold her house and bought a new one with a large basement. From there, she began a long fight to build a pool in the basement. Eventually, she succeeded, establishing England’s first indoor children’s swim school.
Her business grew well beyond the four walls of that basement. Goldberg told Medium in 2022 that the school was “always at full capacity” over the next few years as many parents sent their children to learn water safety. In 1991, Goldberg brought British Swim School to North America, where it grew into the continent’s largest “learn to swim” provider. Through partnerships with fitness centers and hotels, it currently operates more than 450 schools across Canada and the United States.
Goldberg’s methodology for teaching children to swim, which she built during the early years of the business, has remained integral to the way British Swim School conducts lessons, according to the company, even as Goldberg took a step back from the organization in 2019 when it was acquired by Buzz Franchise Brands to secure an even wider reach and the ability to teach more children to swim.
“This is incredibly sad news for everyone in the British Swim School family,” said Ashley Gundlach, President of British Swim School. “Rita’s passion and energy for our mission to teach survival-first swimming skills continues to inspire our instructors, franchises, and families across the British Swim School community. Her legacy will live on.”
