Meet the Team

Meet the Team Page

Gail Smith

Managing Director Gail Smith has a wide experience of swimming at all levels and has successfully built SwimEasy into Scotland’s largest independent Swim School over the past 10 years. Gail recognised the importance of swimming at an early age and has watched her two sons become among the leading swimmers in Britain. Gail's eldest son, Taylor, was the Scottish Junior Breaststroke Champion and narrowly missed out on the qualification standard for the Scottish Commonwealth Games team 2006. Taylor has been involved in the SwimEasy business since the company started over 10 years ago.

Taylor has continued to be involved in the teaching and coordinating roles for SwimEasy. Now a full time Teacher of Physical Education. Taylor will take his experience as a Swim Coach to Shanghai in August 2009 where he takes up a post in an independent school on a three year contact.

Her youngest son, Lewis, represented Great Britain at the European Junior Championships in 2005 and 2006. He also represented Scotland at the 2004 Commonwealth Youth Games in Australia winning two silver medals. In 2006 Lewis was a member of the British Senior Swim Team where he was placed 9th in Europe for the 400 Individual Medley. Lewis narrowly missed out on qualifying for the Beijing Olympics in 2008. In March 2009 however he was
successful in progressing his performance in the 400 Individual Medley to be ranked number two in Great Britain and increased his chances of qualifying to represent his country as part the G.B. Swim Team; competing in Rome later this summer at the World Swimming Championships

As well as running her own company, Gail also finds time to coach some of the rapidly improving competitive swimmers at Warrender Baths Club, Scotland’s leading swimming club. Gail is very passionate about swimming and one of her goals is to enhance the quality of learn to swim provision in Scotland. She takes every opportunity to learn more about the wider aspects of the sport of swimming and has attended the Olympic Games in Sydney, Athens and
Beijing; as part of her on-going professional development Gail has also attended the World Championships in Melbourne Australia in 2007 and will attend the Championships in Rome in July of this year. In addition to the International swimming interests Gail can also be seen at local district competitions as well as National events where she continues her role as either coach or team manager.

Gail’s business ambitions are unique for a woman. She makes a living from swimming lessons, but re-invests any extra money back into the company to improve the service for her customers. Unlike any other learn to swim programme available in either the private or public sector, Gail ensures that
SwimEasy remains a truly local company where customers are able to speak directly to the SwimEasy staff. Her passion for the sport also ensures that SwimEasy stays as the Market Leader in the teaching of swimming and the largest provider of new swimmers keen to progress into the sport of swimming.

Gail is regularly seen to be hands on at the various pool venues operating throughout the company. Although she does not do quite so much actual teaching of pupils as previously, her involvement now includes the training of teachers and the provision of regular staff training workshops. This guarantees good quality teaching control, by ensuring that progressive practices and correct teaching methods are being delivered by the teachers. It also guarantees that the techniques of all four strokes are being taught at the highest standards to the pupils.

As sole director of SwimEasy, Gail Smith has put in place a wide ranging team of experts to build and develop the business.

These include:

Lara Kirkpatrick: Business Development Manager
Ailien Pallot: Finance and Systems Consultant


Carolyn Holt: New Business and Re-bookings Manager
Gayle Hamilton: New Business and Re-bookings Co-ordinator


Jenni Holt: Forth Valley Programme Manager / Teaching Staff Manager
Alison Johnston: Quality Assurance Lesson Programme
Ross Johnston: Quality Assurance SwimFast Programme
Helen Holt: SwimFast Administrator
Ian Pettigrew: SwimFast Co-ordinator



Jill Mitchelson: Bookkeeper

Ian Wright: Consultant

Laurel Bailey: Consultant




Jenni Holt

Jenni is the SwimEasy Forth Valley Programme Manager for lessons operating in West Lothian and Central Scotland. She is an ASA Teacher of swimming and a coach. Jenni also coaches for Warrender Baths Club where she takes two Development Squads of competitive swimmers three times per week, all of whom have come through the Forth Valley SwimEasy programme. Jenni oversees the management at the Forth Valley pool venues including Larbert, Braes (Polmont) and Linlithgow; she is also involved with the bookings and re-bookings of all the pupils in her care. Jenni is a talented and enthusiastic worker, she recruits local teachers and trains them in the SwimEasy way of teaching. Jenni is an expert in multi-tasking and works both on poolside and from SwimEasy's Head Office at Swanston. Jenni is committed to the provision of the best swimming lessons in her area and, with the help of all her family, Jenni ensures that all the pupils are taught swimming  The SwimEasy Way!

Lara Kirkpatrick

Lara is SwimEasy's Business Development Manager. Lara originally comes from a Sales and Marketing background with over 20 years of experience gained from working for The Scotsman and The Herald, before joining The Royal Highland Show as Marketing Manager. Following a career break to look after her two children, Toby and Hattie, Lara returned to work in 2007 joining SwimEasy as a member of the Bookings Team before being promoted to Office Manager and then to Business Development Manager. 

Carolyn Holt

Carolyn is one of the Bookings Co-ordinators for SwimEasy. Having completed her work experience in the SwimEasy office at the tender age of 15, Carolyn originally joined SwimEasy as a trainee teacher in Forth Valley where she gained her Level 1 and Level 2 Teachers Qualifications.Since gaining her Level 2, Carolyn has also acted as Poolside Co-ordinator at various pools in the Forth Valley area. As Jenni's daughter, Carolyn also began to assist Jenni on a  part-time basis in the Forth Valley office, before being offered a full time job in the Edinburgh office. Her knowledge and experience at the poolside, helps her to ensure new bookings are placed at the correct ability stage.

   Alison Johnston         

Alison is the SwimEasy Quality Assurance Manager covering the whole programme to ensure consistently high standards at all venues.

Alison has considerable experience in the swimming world at various levels having competed at national level as a child she is still involved in masters swimming with Warrender Baths Club. In addition to being a qualified swimming coach Alison is also a qualified swimming judge officiating at district competitions. Her husband Keith and her children Ross and Ewan all compete successfully at national level so swimming is a big part of the Johnston household.

Alison visits all pool venues operated by the company and is well placed to ensure best practice is replicated across the whole programme. She still teaches at SwimFast level and is responsible for teacher training and the provision of regular staff training workshops. This guarantees high standard of teaching ensuring that progressive practices and correct teaching methods are being delivered by the teachers. A strong emphasis is placed on ensuring that the techniques of all four strokes are being taught at the highest standards to the swimmers.

Ian Wright

Ian is former Head Coach of Warrender Baths Club, Scotland’s most famous and successful swimming club. Over the past decade, Ian has progressed Warrender Baths Swimming Club through the national rankings to become in 2005, Scotland’s Top Club National Championships in Glasgow. Further, at the 2005 British National Championships in Sheffield, Warrender achieved second place overall in the boys youth category, missing out on the top spot by only a few points. A number of swimmers, now coached by Ian and who have helped Warrender achieve these results, came through the SwimEasy Way!

Ian is one of SwimEasy’s specialist advisors, providing valuable input on information technology systems and important contributions to all swimming technical aspects of the programme. As swim programming requires enormous planning with ideas coming from a variety of view points, Ian has been instrumental in bringing together these ideas which have greatly enhanced many aspects of the Learn to Swim Programme.

Laurel Bailey

Laurel is Lead Coach of Warrender Baths Club and one of Australia’s most highly rated swimming teachers acts as a consultant for SwimEasy.