THE future looks bleak for children at Tenbury Swimming Club if qualified teachers can't be found to replace retiring instructors.

The non-competitive club has been running for 30 years and organisers fear that unless more instructors are recruited, the children will suffer.

Club chairman Anne Baker said: "This is a wonderful facility for swimming, learning and social interaction.

"The staff at Tenbury pool are a really good team and go out of their way to find the appropriate match for all abilities. We are a privately-run group with 40 children registered to swim and our aims have always been to improve swimming technique and develop confidence."

The mixed ability club has a waiting list of youngsters to join but, due to retirement, has lost a number of experienced teachers and is finding it difficult to replace them.

"We have two qualified teachers and two assistant instructors but we do need more. We are not a competitive club and we cater for children who love to swim but don't want to compete," said Mrs Baker confirmed. "We are looking to recruit suitable people to join the team."

Senior manager at Tenbury Pool, Carl Owen, said: "For a few summers, I have noticed a drop in the numbers of children coming to the public sessions. They seem to prefer playing on computers. It's a sad state of affairs.

"All children should be taught to swim and the closure of the pool at Leominster has brought more people into Tenbury. The swimming club is doing a great job but they do need teachers if it is to continue."

Swimming teachers who can spare an hour or two on Tuesday evenings are asked to write to Anne Baker at Tenbury Swimming Pool, Palmer's Meadow, Tenbury Wells, for more information.