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Swim England and Good Boost partnership nominated for RSPH Awards

The partnership of Swim England and Good Boost has been named as a finalist at the Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) Awards.

The nomination comes in the Community Health Development category after the partnership’s work in creating more accessible, inclusive and welcoming aquatic spaces which included developing the Good Boost Aqua Rehabilitation app.

It was one of only three projects to be shortlisted in this category, alongside Lambeth Early Action Partnership (LEAP) and Cancer Research UK.

It’s the second year in a row that Swim England have been named as a finalist for the award after the Water Wellbeing programme was nominated in 2021.

Swim England and Good Boost have worked together since 2018 to develop an effective solution for people with a range of musculoskeletal conditions or chronic pain, including before and after various forms of surgery.

The Good Boost Aqua Rehabilitation app improves physical function and quality of life, transforming community swimming pools into therapeutic spaces by creating personalised aquatic exercise sessions for groups and individuals.

It has also launched as an aqua-natal option to support a healthy and active pregnancy.

The app was designed for all levels of water confidence, including non-swimmers, recognising that working in water places less pressure on your joints and the resistance of water means you are still able to get a good workout with less discomfort.

The partnership has allowed more pools around the country to offer the Good Boost application, with more than 30 pools currently providing Good Boost as part of their overall approach to health and wellbeing, and plans are in place to make this option available at hundreds more pools next year and beyond.

‘An innovative health initiative’

 Swim England’s water wellbeing specialist, Andrew Power, explained how delighted he was that the partnership has been nominated for the award.

He said: “Swim England have been working in partnership with Good Boost since 2018 to transform community leisure venues into therapeutic spaces.

“We are both delighted to have been nominated for this year’s Royal Society for Public Health Awards in the Community Health Development category.”

Good Boost CEO Ben Wilkins credited the work between the two organisations.

“It’s fantastic to hear about this nomination recognising the success of this partnership between Good Boost and Swim England, and all it has and will continue to achieve in supporting better health and wellbeing through aquatic activity in local communities,” he said.

The RSPH’s Health and Wellbeing Awards assessor team explained why they have chosen the partnership as a finalist for the award.

“An innovative health initiative that improves health and wellbeing for people living with chronic pain, musculoskeletal conditions and multimorbidity through accessible and high-quality opportunities to exercise.

“The programme provides participants with a sense of independence and control by enabling them to exercise or undertake rehabilitation in a safe, welcoming and inclusive environment.”

Pools across England have so far delivered 19,000 individual Good Boost sessions, enabling 1,700 people to better manage their rehabilitation, improving function, mobility and reducing chronic pain.

All award winners will be announced at the RSPH Health and Wellbeing Awards 2022 gala event which is set to be held on Thursday 20 October.

You can sign up to watch the awards through the live stream here.

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