St Edmundsbury Borough Council has secured a £33,000 two-year grant to give people over 60 years old free swimming in Bury St Edmunds and Haverhill.
The funding follows a central government announcement in June that £140m was being made available to encourage local authorities to provide free swimming as a way of promoting fitness and health in older people.
St Edmundsbury will forward the £33,664 to Abbeycroft Leisure, the company which runs the swimming pools at leisure centres in Bury and Haverhill.
Cllr Lynsey Alexander, Portfolio Holder for Culture and Sport, said: ‘Swimming is one of the most popular ways people over 60 like to keep fit and we hope this extra money will be an added incentive for others to “take the plunge”.
‘We want to encourage more people to take part in sport as a way of staying healthy for longer, which is why we have acted quickly to win this extra money.
‘Along with other councils in Suffolk, we are committed to promoting activities like swimming and I am sure this news will result in real benefits for people looking for a fun way to stay active.’
Warren Smyth, Chief Executive of Abbeycroft Leisure said
“One of the appeals of swimming is that it is sociable. People of greatly varying ability can enjoy using the pool at the same time. We expect to see an enthusiastic uptake of this scheme when it is launched.”
The grant covers the two financial years from next April. St Edmundsbury has also expressed an interest in applying for a grant to fund free swimming for under-16s, the next phase of the government’s initiative to promote the sport.
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Issued By Sally Easton, Communications Unit, St Edmundsbury Borough Council, Phone: 01284 757046 email: sally.easton@stedsbc.gov.uk
