All swimming pools in Suffolk have joined forces in a unique initiative to get the county swimming. They are offering a course of adult swimming lessons for just £10 over the summer, with some pools starting as early as the beginning of April.

Ten reasons to make the move:

- You will be able to cool off confidently in water over the summer

- Stop worrying about your safety when you are near water

- The endorphins your body creates after a swim make you feel amazing

- It is a low impact exercise so your joints don’t take a pounding, but your muscles will benefit

- Meet people who are in the same position as you and want to learn too

- Encourage the children you spend time with to swim by seeing how confident you are in the water

- Try wearing goggles to keep the water out of your eyes and help you see

- Swimming costumes come in all shapes and sizes

- The resistance of the water helps you to burn up calories faster

-  You are never too old to learn a new skill

Here are some of the experiences of people who learnt to swim last year:

Barbara (62), had always been terrified of the water all her life. 'Because of what I had been through, I needed to have complete confidence in the person I chose to teach me to swim and I felt comfortable with my instructor from the start. Within the first five minutes I did the unthinkable - I put my head under the water! Since then I have gone from strength to strength and had fun every step of the way.”

Marie was nervous about learning to swim, but has decided that this is something she really wants to do. 'It’s good that the group works together in learning, as we’re all in the same boat and it’s encouraging that we’re not the only ones who cannot swim.”

Geraldine decided to learn because she wants to swim with her family and friends and enjoy her holidays. “This was my first swimming lesson and I was quite nervous. However being in a small group that had met up in the changing room really did help because we all went through to the pool together…I personally didn’t feel quite so self-conscious of my fear, knowing I was with others who felt the same.”

 

You can read about their swimming experiences in more detail by logging onto www.everydayswim.org and looking under Suffolk.

Everyday Swim is an exciting Suffolk-wide programme which aims to get more people swimming for fun, for fitness and as part of a healthy lifestyle. It is funded by Sport England and Suffolk County Council and works in partnership with many organisations including Suffolk Sport. A key element of Everyday Swim is finding out how best to remove the barriers that stop people taking that first step of going to the pool, either for the first time, or the first time in a long time.  If you would like more information about everyday swim projects please contact Corinna Hudson, the coordinator for Suffolk on 07818 025 794 or email corinna.hudson@swimming.org

All the participating Suffolk pools:

Hadleigh Swimming Pool, Hadleigh - 01473 823470

Kingfisher Leisure Centre, Sudbury - 01787 375656

Crown Pools and Fore Street Baths, Ipswich - 01473 433655

Felixstowe Leisure Centre, Felixstowe - 01394 670411

Leiston Leisure Centre, Leiston - 01728 830364

Deben Pools Woodbridge - 01394 384763

Mid Suffolk Leisure Centre, Stowmarket - 01449 674980

Stradbroke Pool - 01379 384376

Mildenhall Swimming Pool - 01638 712515

Newmarket Swimming Pool - 01638 661736

Beccles Outdoor Pool - 01502 569116

Waveney Valley Pool, Bungay - 01986 895014

Water Lane Sports and Leisure Centre, Lowestoft - 01502 569116

Abbeycroft Leisure Centre, Bury - 01284 753496