' Women Only' Swimming Sessions In Ealing
Pilot scheme taking place in Acton and Northolt
New single sex swimming sessions are being introduced in Acton and Northolt to encourage more women to take to the water.
The local lesiure centres have teamed up with the THIS GIRL CAN campaign which celebrates active women of all shapes and sizes. They've designed one hour sessions as part of a country-wide pilot
In Acton they will run from 19:30 to 20:30 every Thursday and 16:30 to 17:30 every Sunday, sessions at Northolt Leisure Centre will run from 18:30 to 19:30 every Saturday.
Both will run for the next six months.
Everyone Active Group Swim Manager, Jacqui Tillman, said:
“We know women love swimming, but this doesn’t always translate into them feeling comfortable enough to come to their local pool.
“We want to change this and to make sure we provide a really welcoming environment, so have teamed up with THIS GIRL CAN to create these sessions. This is a pilot and we really want women to tell us what they think so we can continue to improve the experience for them.
Sport England, the government agency behind the THIS GIRL CAN campaign and responsible for getting people active, devised the sessions and is helping to fund them. Chief Executive, Jennie Price, said:
“Swimming is a great activity for everyone and our research shows it’s extremely popular with women. But we know that many women struggle to find the confidence to swim in public because they fear being judged on how good they are or what they look like. Many also tell us that they’re not sure about their local pool.
“Sport England and Everyone Active created a completely new experience, designed with input from our THIS GIRL CAN community. We want to hear what women think about the sessions so that they can continue to be improved. If successful, we hope to see these sessions roll out nationally.”
Bookings are made on the day on a first come first served basis.
To find out more information about Everyone Active Acton Centre call 020 8825 9001, Northolt Leisure Centre call 020 8423 7436 or visit www.everyoneactive.com.
February 9th 2016