Save Our Pools: Preserving Community Spaces for Health and Happiness #SaveOurPools

Swimming pools are more than just places for recreation and cooling off on hot summer days; they are vital community spaces that promote physical fitness, well-being, and social connections. Unfortunately, many local pools face the risk of closure due to various challenges. In support of the "Save Our Pools" initiative, this recent video released by Scottish Swimming aims to shed light on the importance of preserving these valuable resources and the positive impact they have on individuals and communities.

Swimming is a low-impact, full-body workout that offers numerous physical and mental health benefits. Pools provide a safe and accessible environment for people of all ages to engage in regular exercise. From swimming laps to water aerobics and aquatic therapy, these activities promote cardiovascular health, muscular strength, flexibility, and stress relief. By saving our pools, we ensure that individuals and families have a convenient place to pursue an active lifestyle and improve their overall well-being.

Swimming is a life-saving skill that everyone should have the opportunity to learn. Many pools offer affordable or even free swimming lessons, particularly aimed at children and individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds. By supporting and maintaining pools, we ensure that these crucial programs continue to exist. Learning to swim not only prevents drowning incidents but also boosts confidence, instills discipline, and opens doors to a wide range of aquatic sports and activities.

Pools serve as inclusive spaces that bring people from diverse backgrounds together. They provide a setting for social interaction, community events, and recreational programs. Whether it's a local swim team, water fitness classes, or casual gatherings, pools foster a sense of belonging and camaraderie among community members. Saving our pools means preserving these gathering spaces, strengthening community bonds, and creating opportunities for people to connect, support, and inspire one another.

Without pools we risk a generation unable to swim, the closure of clubs which bring communities together and the loss of lifelines – social hubs for the isolated, elderly or injured for whom swimming, and its unique weight bearing properties, is often the only path to recovery.

Swimming pools are classrooms which can mean the difference between life and death. More than 1.5 million children are learning to swim in the UK each week to be safe, confident and competent in and around water. Without pools we are putting lives at risk.

Pools are havens for those dependent on them for social interaction, for families who come together for fun and fitness, for those getting better from illness or trauma or simply as a positive prescription for good mental and physical health. Pools are essential for the continued health of the nation and the post-pandemic road to recovery.

Swimming pools often lie at the heart of communities, supporting upwards of 1200 aquatics clubs across the UK and have become places where home-grown heroes and champions are made in one of Britain’s top performing sports.