Swimmingly good for the over-60s...?

By Jayne Warren - 09/06/2008

In a flurry of publicity, the government has announced that those over 60 are to be given free admission to public swimming pools in an £80m 'first stage' initiative to encourage greater participation in sport - ahead of the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

 

Sport's Minister Andy Burnham said that the government's 'big vision' is to have two million more people  taking part in some form of physical exercise by 2012: "If somebody is currently inactive, swimming is the most likely sport they're going to do. But unlike other sports, swimming has a barrier in its way - and it's called an entry charge."

 

But is an entry charge the only barrier? What about council-run pools that are less than clean, transport there and back, the risks of slipping on uneven wet floors - or perhaps just overcoming feelings of physical shyness about being in a swimming costume?

 

Pamela Holmes, Head of Healthy Ageing at Help the Aged, said: "This is a positive commitment to improving the health and wellbeing of older people, and for many older people on tight budgets, activities such as swimming are a luxury. But for those who don't enjoy swimming, or for those with problems such as poor strength, uncertain balance and weak bones, swimming classes offer nothing at all. We need to stride towards providing a range of activity options."

 

Ralph Riley, from The Institute of Sport and Recreation Management (ISRM), said: “This is a turning point in recognising that improving public health in the 21st century starts at the doors of a swimming pool or sports centre - rather than at the doors of a hospital.”

 

However, the Institute, which trains and qualifies sports centre and swimming pool managers also warned that the initiative would bring with it as many challenges as it does opportunities. Continued Riley: “We need to make sure we have enough pools that are truly accessible to people who want to use them. That means having pools located in the heart of communities within easy travel distance. And the pools themselves must meet the high standards that modern consumers deserve and expect - with clean, hygienic changing rooms, and sparkling, high-quality pool water.

 

“It is not just as simple as opening the doors. If we do only that, the scheme will fail. We need to learn from the experiences of pools that have been operating free swimming for certain age groups for some time and also from museums and galleries that have been working within a free access model since 2001.”