Partnership encourages 10 million swims in 2019

Swim England and Everyone Active have launched a new campaign to encourage people to swim more regularly.

At the start of the year, the two organisations announced the start of a three-year collaboration to create a nation of swimmers.

As part of that mission they are encouraging people to swim more regularly and help achieve 10 million swims at Everyone Active pools by the end of 2019.

This ambitious goal will be achieved by focusing on the occasional swimmer and the benefits that swimming regularly can bring to them.

Working together to encourage greater participation

Over the coming months Swim England will work with Everyone Active to carry out research, utilising insight from their 180 pools and the local communities in which they operate. By focusing on understanding the reasons why individuals currently swim and what is stopping them from doing so more often, this will help to secure the continued participation of swimmers, as well as attracting new audiences into the pool.

They will also work together to identify and challenge the common misconceptions around swimming, which can act as a barrier to participation.

Lesley Hill, Swim England’s head of strategic partnerships, said: “Swimming offers something for everyone, and over the past few years there has been an increase in the variety of activities available in the pool. However, we are still seeing areas of the country where swimming is not regularly enjoyed.

“We want everyone to think of swimming as a fun, healthy activity to enjoy with friends and family. By working with Everyone Active we will be able to engage directly with local swimmers and encourage people to enjoy the water more regularly.”

Jacqui Tillman, head of swimming at Everyone Active, said: “It’s well documented that swimming is a fantastic way for people of all ages and abilities to keep active. However, there is still a reluctance from many people to get into the pool. This may be because they aren’t fully aware of the many health and social benefits swimming offers, or perhaps there is a misunderstanding about the skills you need to enjoy the water. Through our partnership with Swim England, we are aiming to tackle this and revive the nation’s love of swimming.

“Public swimming activities are fundamental to us successfully achieving this. While swim lessons, clubs and aqua classes play a vital role in helping swimmers to progress and maintain their engagement, activities such as family swimming and other non-competitive sessions are essential in securing people’s early enjoyment of the water and integrating swimming into their lives and exercise habits. This is why we’ve chosen to start our partnership with Swim England by focusing on this area, and I’m confident that through this we will reach our target of 10 million swims.”

Join the #10MillionSwims campaign

Swim England and Everyone Active’s #10MillionSwims campaign aims to encourage people to swim more regularly during 2019.

Swimming doesn’t just mean going up and down lanes, it includes all pool activity from family fun sessions to diving and aqua aerobics. Share the ways you enjoy the water on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram using #10MillionSwims.