Jack Laugher Leisure and Wellness Centre, Knaresborough Swimming Pool, Nidderdale Pool and Leisure Centre and Starbeck Baths have this month (December) received Swim England’s Water Wellbeing accreditation.
Water Wellbeing was developed in 2018 by Swim England – the national governing body for swimming – with an aim to transform existing community swimming pool into places for health, wellbeing and rehabilitation.
The Water Wellbeing model can be implemented by any public pool in England to help improve outcomes for people with long-term health conditions.
To achieve the Water Wellbeing accreditation, Brimhams Active have carried out changes (where needed) to ensure all pools are accessible, inclusive and inviting to the local community.
Brimhams Active’s exercise referral instructors have received training to deliver Swim England’s Aquatic Activity for Health programme, which allows the team to deliver pool based group exercise for people living with long term health conditions.
Swimming teachers have been upskilled to deliver adult swimming lessons for people with health conditions, and all customer facing members of the team have had additional customer experience training, with a focus on inclusivity.
Mark Tweedie, managing director of Brimhams Active, said:
I’m delighted that through the hard work and dedication of the Brimhams Active team, with the support of Swim England, we have achieved Swim England’s Water Wellbeing accreditation at our facilities.
Inactivity and the determinants of poor health adversely impact on thousands of people in our communities. Our mission is to help address this by supporting people to move more, live well and feel great, and to do this we are creating an inclusive, holistic, health and wellbeing focused service offer.
Councillor Stanley Lumley, Harrogate Borough Council’s cabinet member for culture, tourism and sport, and chair of the board of directors at Brimhams Active, said:
Not only has Brimhams Active achieved this highly important accreditation, but it is also the first public swimming pool operator in England to do so for all swimming pools that it manages, which is an incredible achievement.
And this achievement marks a remarkable step forward for Brimhams Active by continuing to work collaboratively with other health and wellbeing focussed organisations, and community groups, to reduce inactivity and improve health and wellbeing.
Andrew Power, Swim England’s Water Wellbeing Specialist, said:
Swim England have been supporting Brimhams Active this past year across a number of key areas, in order to maximise the long term sustainability and growth of their aquatic assets.
It has been an absolute pleasure to work with the Brimhams Active team at all levels, who have shown total commitment to the accreditation process and have gone beyond what was expected of them in doing so.
I look forward to seeing the impact of this work and benefits to the local community, particularly around improved health and wellbeing for years to come.
Once the multi-million pound investment by Harrogate Borough Council at the Hydro in Harrogate and the new leisure and wellness centre in Knaresborough have been completed, Brimhams Active will seek to gain Swim England’s Water Wellbeing accreditation at these facilities.
