Helena Burke
speaker
710 appearances
20 recordings
2 series
first heard Apr 2026
last heard 2d ago
Helena Burke’s voice in public audio — every appearance, attributed to the second.
Trend
recordings per month · last 12 monthsRecordings per month over the last 12 months — 20 in all, peaking in Sep 2026 with 6.
Appearances
For many children, learning to swim is just another part of growing up.
But recent drowning deaths during the heatwave across Europe have highlighted the number of youngsters who have never learned to swim or don't feel confident in the water.
A charity in Germany is hoping to change all that, as The Happy Pod's Karen Martin found out.
I'm standing on the shores of Lake Starnberg, 25 kilometres southwest of Munich, and it's clear these boys and girls like nothing more than messing about in the water.
For them, learning to swim has been as important as learning to read and write, and ten-year-old Frieda von Malikrotz, speaking through her mum Rebecca, says it's fun too.
Because you can move freely and the water is beautiful.
Because they can move freely within the water and they like the water all over their skin.
She has a fin like a mermaid and she has a crocodile and they like to play.
But latest figures show that over half of primary school children in Germany lack adequate swimming skills, putting themselves in danger around the water.
The German Swim Foundation aims to change all that by funding lessons starting at kindergarten level, including adapted programmes for children with physical or learning disabilities.
The charity's efforts are supported by local hotel La Villa on the shores of Lake Starnberg.
It hosts an annual swim from one side of the lake to the other.
And in a moment of madness, I signed up.
We're on a boat crossing the 2.4km to the start of the race and I'm with Katia Lindo-Rover from La Villa.
I asked Katia why this was a cause close to her heart.
We have a lot of drowning deaths, not just in Germany, but all over the world.
A lot of adults underestimate the danger of the waters.
As beautiful water is and as much fun swimming is, in the beginning it's very dangerous.
And we have a lot of children who are scared of the waters.
the parents are shy, there might be cultural differences, they might be scared themselves of the water.
Showing 421–440 of 710 · page 22 of 36
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