Olympic swimming gold medallist Duncan Goodhew made a whistle-stop tour of Suffolk at the weekend as he promoted the benefits of swimming to the county’s residents.

Goodhew was in the region as part of Everyday Swim’s Suffolk Swim Weekend, which saw 11 leisure centres offering a variety of free and reduced-price activities from family fun sessions and snorkelling to adult learn to swim lessons and adult improver classes.

The weekend (9-10 June) was a chance for non-swimmers and lapsed swimmers to get into the pool, as well as an opportunity for regular pool users to try out new activities. Hundreds of people took part, with many that joined in adult learn to swim and adult improver classes already signed up to a full-length course.

Among those taking part was Suffolk County Councillor Graham Newman, who joined in an adult improver class at Ipswich Crown Pools. Newman, who is the council’s portfolio holder for Adult and Community Services was inspired by the session and plans to take up further lessons at his local pool in Felixstowe.

“I thoroughly enjoyed myself at the swimming taster session and it was wonderful to get a swimming lesson from Duncan. He’s a great ambassador for swimming and in just 10 minutes he pinpointed so many areas for improvement in my stroke.

“I don’t get to the pool as much now that my children have grown up but meeting Duncan has really inspired me to take up swimming again. I’ve never had formal tuition before but I’ve seen the value in getting help from an expert and I’m planning to register for lessons at my local pool at Felixstowe Leisure Centre.”

Goodhew’s two-day tour, which spanned all seven Suffolk districts, included visits to nine of the participating pools from Waveney to Mildenhall, and the former champion was delighted to see so many people taking part.

“It was wonderful to see all those people enjoying the pools across Suffolk over the weekend,” he said. “Swimming is a great activity for people of all ages and is a good way to keep fit, stay active or just spend time with friends and family.

“The Suffolk Swim Weekend was a real success and it was brilliant to meet so many different people already taking part in swimming activities as well as those who are keen to take to the pool as part of a healthy lifestyle.”

The two-day event was arranged as part of the Everyday Swim initiative, a national project led by ASA and funded nationally by Sport England and locally by Suffolk County Council in partnership with Suffolk Sport, which aims to encourage people into their local pools for fun and fitness. The Suffolk project is the only county-wide programme in England and is focussed on young people, people aged 45 and over and those living in rural communities.

Everyday Swim Coordinator Helen Graupp-Fisher has been really encouraged by the feedback from the weekend.

“The Suffolk Swim Weekend was a real hit and it goes to show what can be achieved when pool operators work together. All the centres put on terrific activities over the weekend and really showcased what’s on offer at the local pool.

“The adult learn to swim and improver session were really popular which goes to show there’s genuine demand out there from people that want to get more from the pool later in life. Many people I spoke to that took part are keen to make swimming a regular part of their lives.

“A key part of the Everyday Swim initiative is finding out what people want from their local pool and then trying to action it. We’ve had some great examples of that over the weekend and we’ll be looking to share that good practice across the county and England as a whole.”

The Suffolk Swim Weekend took place from 9-10 June and involved 11 pools across the county:
Kingfisher Leisure Centre, Sudbury
Hadleigh Swimming Pool
Mildenhall Swimming Pool
Newmarket Swimming Pool
Crown Pools, Ipswich
Bury St Edmunds Leisure Centre
Haverhill Leisure Centre
Mid Suffolk Leisure Centre, Stowmarket
Waveney Sports & Leisure Centre, Lowestoft
Waveney Valley Pool, Bungay
Felixstowe Leisure Centre