Swimming peer support sessions for adults have been launched in Leamington

Swimming peer support sessions have launched in Leamington as part of pilot by the national governing body Swim England.

Aimed at people who might see swimming as a barrier to helping them achieve better health and wellbeing, the sessions will take place twice-monthly at Newbold Comyn Leisure Centre.

Participants will be identified through the Leamington Primary Care Network’s (PCN) social prescribing service, after registering their interest online.

The sessions are part of the ‘Swim Together’ scheme, which has been developed in collaboration with Leamington PCN, Mental Health Swims and the Leisure centre’s operating company Everyone Active, which aims to help increase the diversity within the swimming community by making peer support accessible to a whole new group of people.

Led by trained professionals, it is hoped that the sessions will provide a safe space for adults to enjoy the benefits of water, especially if the participant has not tried swimming before or for a long time.

It was formed following discussions between Royal College of GPs physical activity clinical champion, Hussain Alzubaidi, managing director of Mental Health Swims – Rachel Ashe and Swim England, following the release of recent England Swims research and launch of the Swimming as Medicine campaign.

Rachel said: “Mental Health Swims make it easier for people who live with mental illness to join in. So this pilot is a perfect opportunity to bring the same experience to indoor pools.

“Our volunteer training is unique because we have been built with lived experience being at the heart of everything we do.

“The ‘meetups’ will provide the chance for participants to enjoy unstructured time in the pool; a time to float, to walk in the water or just get to know what to expect for next time.

“We hope these sessions will help make visiting a leisure centre feel less intimidating, especially if you are afraid to go on your own.”

The sessions take place twice-monthly on Mondays from 8.15pm to 9pm and Fridays from 1pm to 1.45pm and cost £2 per session.

The next session takes place on Friday May 12.

For more information or to sign up visit https://bit.ly/3Ntm4T7