Working Together to Drive Change

Andrew Clark Interim Chair, Swimming Alliance

It is a privilege to take on the role of Interim Chair of the Swimming Alliance at what feels like a particularly important time for aquatics. Bringing together 25 leading national organisations, the Alliance exists to provide a collective voice for our sector and, through our three subgroups - Workforce, Inclusion and Lobbying – and our School Swimming Taskforce, turn that collaboration into practical action. School swimming is a good example of why this matters. Recent BBC analysis found that, on average, only 72% of Year 6 pupils could swim 25 metres, falling to just 55% in schools with the highest proportion of pupils receiving free school meals. These inequalities reinforce the need for change and the work already being progressed through our School Swimming Taskforce, as discussed in the previous issue of SwimNation.

But school swimming cannot be considered in isolation. Children need access to appropriate pool space; pools need a skilled and sustainable workforce; and opportunities need to be inclusive and accessible to everyone. This is why the work of our sub groups and Taskforce is interconnected.

Our collective voice is equally important at Government level. Following our recent meeting with the then Minister for Sport, the political landscape has changed significantly. On behalf of the Alliance, I have written to Prime Minister Andy Burnham, setting out the contribution aquatics can make to his ambition for a more preventative approach to health and tackling inequalities. Given his previous support for swimming, physical activity and the role of leisure in improving public health, we hope there is a real opportunity to build on this shared agenda.

This all comes at an incredibly challenging time for swimming pools and leisure facilities.

We have a real opportunity to influence policy, challenge inequalities and create meaningful, long-term change for aquatics

Rising utility and operational costs and ageing facilities could lead to further pool closures, and are placing increasing pressure on provision and threatening access within communities. At the same time, the recent heatwaves have provided a welcome boost for many of our outdoor pools, lidos and pools in general, demonstrating once again the public appetite for swimming and the value these facilities bring to their communities.

That is why we are calling for investment in public leisure facilities and the development of a comprehensive National Facilities Strategy - providing a long-term plan for the provision, renewal and development of the pools and leisure facilities our communities need. This would also underpin the planned National Physical Activity Strategy.

Local authority devolution could be a catalyst for change in the swimming sector. Greater local control over funding and investment decisions would allow communities to shape facilities around local needs, unlock new partnerships and support the development of modern, sustainable pools. As swimming remains essential for public health, water safety and community wellbeing, devolution offers an opportunity to secure the long-term future of aquatic facilities across England.

There is much to do, but we have an extraordinary breadth of expertise within the Swimming Alliance. By bringing those voices together around shared priorities, we have a real opportunity to influence policy, challenge inequalities and create meaningful, long-term change for aquatics.