Many foam products are waterproof, and because of all the tiny little holes full of air, they can be very buoyant and provide an outstanding degree of floatation. Closed cell foams make an ideal source of buoyancy for making swimming aids for small children. The alternative is the inflatable bag idea, but anything inflatable can be punctured or develop a leak around the valve. The small cell, lightweight foam we supply for this kind of use can’t be punctured and fill up with water; even if there is a hole right through, it’ll stay buoyant. Obviously that adds an important degree of safety.

For adults, and more confident swimmers, the same type of foam is used to make kickboards. These boat shapes are made from foam cut to size from a thick sheet. They are used by those learning to swim and people in swim squads and competitive teams looking to improve their stroke and swimming technique.

And of course, there are the foam pool toys. Some of the best are simply huge foam sheets that kids can climb – and try to stand -on. They are like a super-safe surfboard in the pool, and half a dozen kids can play at once. They also provide floating islands in the open pool space – a great confidence booster for children who are nervous in the water.

Closed cell foam logs or ‘pool noodles’ can be used for play or for a little extra floatation. Bendy, highly buoyant, and brightly coloured, almost all swimming pools have a collection. More recently they have become popular tools in aqua-aerobics classes too.