Swimming leaders come together at summit

More than 100 people from across the sport, health and physical activity sectors have come together to tackle some of the key issues facing swimming at the industry’s third annual Swim Summit.

Hosted by the Swim Group, a group of 12 organisations representing the interests of the swimming community, the annual national conference was held on 24 October in Coventry.

Delegates took part in discussions on a wide range of topics and heard personal stories from Olympic swimmers Adam Whitehead and Steve Parry.

Members of the Curriculum Swimming and Water Safety Review Group, led by Parry, provided updates on their work with government, the leisure industry and the education sector to ensure all children leave primary school with an appropriate level of swimming and water safety ability.

Working with healthcare providers to improve the health of the nation was explored with a panel discussion which included the Richmond Group, Swim England and the Aquatic Therapy Association of Chartered Physiotherapists.

Delegates also discussed the priorities for the future and heard about the new All-Party Parliamentary Group on Swimming which has been set up by Catherine West MP to support swimming within Parliament.

Swim England CEO and Chair of the Swim Group, Jane Nickerson, said: “It was a fantastic day with productive discussions on a range of subjects.

“Ensuring ongoing access to quality, appropriate swimming facilities remains a key challenge to the sector because without these everything will stop. We won’t be able to ensure all our young people are safe in the water, we won’t be able to take advantage of the many health and social benefits that swimming and exercising in water provides, and – most importantly – we will lose one of the most popular physical activities in the country.

“It was clear that everyone in the room was passionate about swimming. It is important that we continue to collaborate and speak with a unified voice to ensure that we can continue to support and encourage everyone to enjoy and benefit from regular swimming experiences.”

Steve Parry, Swim Group Member, said: “There were some great conversations being had and I’m looking forward to reviewing the feedback shared during the table discussions with my Swim Group colleagues to see what we can learn and take forward.”

Delegates were also able to browse trade stands hosted by industry leaders including the Institute of Swimming, SH2OUT, Marathon Swims, Kinetic Insight and Swim England’s free Just Swim membership.

The Swim Summit was developed to provide an opportunity for everyone who works within the swimming or leisure sector, or is involved in the delivery of swimming for health or fitness, to get together and discuss the provision of swimming.