'We launched a swim school to boost Black swimming numbers - now our classes are selling out and getting the aunties moving'

With a DJ, some Afrobeats and Amapiano, Penguins Palace Swim School provides a ‘welcoming’ environment making a difference.

‘We launched a swim school to boost Black swimming numbers - now our classes are selling out and getting the aunties moving’

Penguins Palace Swim School in South London launched by swimming instructor Kelvin Genuis and co-founder Aaron Palmer is creating a sense of real community.

STORY BY ARIKE IDRIS

APRIL 6, 2026

A thriving swim school launched to boost the number of Black swimmers has sold out its weekly aqua aerobics classes since launching sessions last year.

Penguins Palace Swim School in South London created by swimming instructor Kelvin Genuis, 29, and his co-founder Aaron Palmer, 31, has been educating children and adults on water safety and drowning prevention since 2021.

According to the National Child Mortality Database, Black children were three times more likely to drown compared to white children, and a survey from Sport England in 2020 found that 95% of Black adults and 80% of Black children did not participate in regular swimming activities before the COVID-19 pandemic compared to 89% of white adults and 71% of white children.

However, co-founder Kelvin says that as a result of the shocking figures, he’s on a mission to teach Black people who have been deterred from learning to swim for various reasons including having their hair ‘made fun of’ during school swimming lessons.

Now, since partnering with swimming cap brand Soul Cap which is designed for Afro hair, locs, braids and other styles, as well as providing a DJ to play music ranging from Afrobeats to Pop - the instructor says that Penguins Palace has given learners more confidence in the water and is “getting the aunties moving.”

Speaking exclusively to The Community Reporter, Kelvin said: “We’ve always seen a lot of aqua aerobics classes, and it is just not doing what it needs to do in terms of getting the aunties moving.

“So, we decided if we put the work in, and we get some Afrobeats, Amapiano, some Funky House, and the DJ, we could change the entire outlook on aqua aerobics.”

But Kelvin says as well as physical exercise, the classes have created a sense of community.

The co-founder said: “One thing aqua aerobics has made us discover is that people really want community. They’re dying for it. I feel like social media has forced everyone to connect on the internet, but we’re not actually connected in real life.

“There’s a lot of lonely people out there who just want to go out and have fun but don’t necessarily want to go to a club or a party. They just want to make friends.

“So, with aqua aerobics it’s been nice to see how much a community these guys are building among themselves. They will come, cheer, and support each other.

“Usually, people come alone and they leave with a friend.”

The main pool site is based at the Gardens Swimming Pool while other classes are held at Downside Fisher Youth Club, both located in Bermondsey. More sessions also take place at Peckham Pulse Leisure Centre and Dulwich Leisure Centre.

But as well as providing entertaining exercise lessons, Kelvin says the impact of the swimming classes nearly moved one woman to tears.

He said: “I had a recent breakthrough literally last week. A woman was almost in tears because of what she’s now able to do in the water.

“To me, that just makes me think, ‘okay, so now she’s going to raise her kids and take them to a swimming lesson, and her kids might even become swimming teachers.’ It’s nice to see that.”

Kelvin says that small changes can make a big difference when it comes accessibility for Black swimmers and that since the school’s 2023 partnership with Soul Cap, a brand worn by the first Black woman to swim for Team GB, Alice Dearing - more people have been encouraged to learn the vital life skill.

He said: “Within our community, when we have discussions where a lot of [Black] people say they can’t really swim. Obviously, swimming hasn’t always been accessible or welcoming for the Black community for various reasons.

“We’ve had stories of adults coming back for lessons with us now because when they were kids, the swimming teacher might have made fun of their hair or made a remark about a swimming hat. Now, we’ve got a brand that we work very closely with making swimming hats for Black hair.

“It’s small things like that. We are able to give those hats to our students and now, there’s better representation, more confidence in the water, and even more people from the [Black] community learning that life-saving skill.”

Kelvin says that he did not anticipate becoming a swimming teacher but that being a Black instructor and giving back to his community has been rewarding and fulfilling.

He said: “To be put in this position is a very liberating feeling because I have a lot of power each and every day when I teach my lessons across all race and genders. In our community, I’m able to provide a level of wisdom that the kids didn’t have at the start of the day.

“It’s beyond the realms of teaching. It’s nice to be able to enrich children’s lives and make better humans in a way.”

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