Notty's New Hat - Active Nottingham

Notty's New Hat is a book about children’s swimming.

It follows 'Notty the Otter' and their journey to learn how to swim for the first time.

“It’s time for a bath. It’s time for a scrub.
“But Notty’s not too keen to jump in the tub…”

Working in partnership with organisations across the city to distribute copies of Notty’s Adventure, we’re ensuring that everyone, including hard-to-reach families, can read Notty’s story and be inspired to learn to swim from a younger age.

An illustrated image of an otter named Notty wearing a red and yellow hat with goggles. The otter is partially submerged in water, surrounded by bubbles, green aquatic plants, and two small fish (one orange and one pink). Above the otter, colourful text reads "Notty's New Hat." At the bottom of the image are logos for "active Nottingham" and "Nottingham City Council

Notty's New Hat book readings

Notty’s New Hat is a learn to swim book for young children in their early years and follows the journey of Notty the Otter. We will be hosting various Read and Swim events across our leisure centres this summer, which will include:

Attendees will receive a FREE copy of Notty’s New Hat along with other fun Notty-themed goodies!
The event will also feature a reading of Notty’s New Hat for children, followed by engaging activities.
A free swim session*

When and where?

Saturday 11 October 2025 – Clifton Leisure Centre at 1pm

Swimming session
*To qualify for the free swim, children must take part in the book reading and activities. Spaces are subject to availability. If you’re no longer able to attend, please cancel your space so another child/children can make use of it.

Bookings:
Visit our booking portal or book via the Active Nottingham app, or pop into your local Active Nottingham leisure centre.
👉 Some swim sessions are only for children aged 4 and under, with their parent or guardian. These sessions have an asterisk (**) next to the location and date.

Cancellations
This event is free, but if you can’t make it anymore, please take a moment to cancel your spot. That way, someone else can join in, and we can keep offering great events like this.

The words 'Nottys New Hat' are in an arc above Notty the Otter

Notty's story has now been distributed following our official Read and Swim launch events and you can now pick up your copy of Notty's New Hat from......