"Save Our Pools!" Archived Message Posted by Gerard on February 22, 2023, 11:21 am "Our Pools are in Crisis! Public swimming pools across the UK are under threat from high energy costs, soaring operating costs and continual annual reductions in local authority funding. 81% of our members, who operate over 850 pools, have indicated that their services are at risk. Their closure would be a catastrophic blow to the nation’s health and wellbeing. What’s at Risk? More than ONE Million children learn to swim on the Swim England Swim Programme every year, meaning the loss of a vital lifeskill for a generation of young people. Accessibly priced healthy exercise for those unable to pay the cost of private club entry, during a cost of living crisis. An irreparable blow to elite sporting development in the future, losing us our medal-winners of the future. A route to better public health when our mental and physical health has been under pressure from COVID and declining cost of living. In Wales 500,000 adults and children swim each week. “This is make-or-break time for an alarming number of swimming pools across the UK. It’s madness that the Government doesn’t seem able to see the danger they are in. “Without pools and leisure centres being classed as vulnerable, the astronomical energy price hikes their operators face will sadly be the final fatal blow for many. “It’s obvious that we cannot afford for communities to be robbed of swimming pools. People have never needed help with their health and wellbeing more. Yet, without political and financial support, they are going to have fewer places than ever to do that. “I’ve seen thousands of children learn to swim in their local pools. If there aren’t the places to teach these life-improving – lifesaving – skills they will be lost for a generation.” How You Can Help Find your local MP’s email address and write to them explaining what your local pool means to you. Your pool might be a place of solace for you that improves mental health. You might train there hoping one day to win Olympic Gold or it may be crucial to allowing your child to learn to swim. Whatever your reason, please let them know. Join our Big Swim Day on Friday 24th February, when we aim to get the country swimming in their local public pools to highlight their plight. Make sure you take a swim that day, to make the point that it’s a valued local facility. Invite your friends, more swimmers making a bigger noise, and having a great time in the process. Follow us on social media, and use the #saveourpools with a photo of your favourite local swimming pool. Pools aren't just for swimming, they're also great for exercise classes.Picture courtesy of Active Luton. All over the country, on Friday 24th February, we’re encouraging local people to join us for a swim as part of Big Swim Day. Bring your friends, have a great time and in doing so, let everyone know how important continued access to your local public pool is to you and your community. Tell the world (and your friends!) that you’re taking part by using #bigswimday and #saveourpools on social media, and do your bit to preserve a vital local facility, and those like them across the country. Across the country 800 community pools are at risk – let’s swim, make a splash, and let everyone know that public pools are vital to local communities. Find out more." https://communityleisureuk.org/save-our-pools/ "A coalition of more than 200 bodies and individuals from the worlds of health, sport, recreation, and leisure including Freedom Leisure has written to the Prime Minister with an urgent plea for greater support for grassroots facilities and clubs amid the ongoing energy crisis. With energy costs relief for the UK’s swimming pools, leisure centres, community facilities, and gyms ending on 31 March, thousands of facilities and clubs are at risk of permanent closure or reduced services, as public and private sector organisations of all sizes face unprecedented financial challenges, with bills remaining up to 200% higher than normal. For public leisure operators running services within local authorities, the latest data from ukactive’s members shows that 31% of council areas in England remain at risk of losing their leisure centre(s) or seeing reduced services at their leisure centre(s), from 1 April**, with around 350 facilities nationally already having seen service restrictions, temporary and permanent closures since October 2022. The signatories of the letter range from major health bodies to sport’s national governing bodies, and the nation’s biggest fitness and leisure groups, while athletes such as Rebecca Adlington and celebrities including Davina McCall have also added their support. The letter warns that, “Failure to identify bespoke support for the sector (and schools operating sports facilities) as part of the Energy Bills Discount Scheme will be the final straw for many facilities and services – especially swimming pools. “Without national intervention, communities will see the loss of essential local services, including swimming lessons for children which are vital for water safety; multi-sport offerings; mental health services; bespoke programmes for older citizens, ethnically diverse communities, women and girls, and disabled people; and long-term health programmes including cancer rehabilitation and support for those with musculoskeletal conditions and type 2 diabetes*.” Within the letter, the coalition calls for the Government to: Reclassify swimming pools as energy intensive as part of the Energy Bills Discount Scheme so they have access to the higher level of discount on energy prices. Set out what tangible support it will provide to the wider sector –including gyms, leisure centres, sports facilities, and clubs –to help navigate the energy crisis across 2023 so that service restrictions and facility closures can be minimised. Set out a “plan for growth” for the sector by aligning the proposed new Sports Strategy with the Spring Budget to unlock the potential of the sector to support the economic, health, educational and social wellbeing of the nation. The letter was coordinated a group of bodies, including: Active Partnerships, the Association for Public Service Excellence, the Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity, the Chief Cultural & Leisure Officers Association, Community Leisure UK, District Councils’ Network, the Local Government Association, Sported, the Sport and Recreation Alliance, the Sport for Development Coalition, Swim England, the Swimming Teachers’ Association, the Youth Sport Trust, and ukactive." https://www.freedom-leisure.co.uk/news/energy-crisis-leisure-industry-plea-to-uk-prime-minister/ *Italics mine. "I have managed to get myself to A&E at Southampton General twice, on each occasion under lock-down and whilst “shielding”. On both occasions I was suffering from the worsening of a chronic condition due to lock-down stress. The worsening of these conditions was directly related to my inability to access the proper prescribed therapy, that of swimming/aqua-yoga/aqua-aerobics, for the serious and life-changing injuries I sustained as a teenager which caused me to suffer from tissue-damage, muscle-loss, nerve-damage, skeletal, spinal cord and circulatory problems. I also managed to secure a “Smart Cities” card from the Southampton Unitary Authority the "Get Active" component of which is an entitlement as I receive PIP. What this means, effectively, is that my physician recommends that I engage in certain forms of therapy regularly and that I have a “smart-chipped” card with my photograph on it that entitles me to greater access to such therapy. As a result of not undergoing therapy I over-strained two old injuries one of which (to my back, pelvis and leg), has become considerably more troublesome and I can be virtually unable to move for days at a stretch. The A&E doctor prescribed a change of pain medication that increased my opioid dose from 4/day Co-codamol 8/500 to 6/day Dihydrocodeine 30mg and I reported to the doctor that the worsening of my condition had induced a self-harm episode. My GP has since concurred with the decision to increase my opioid dose and I now receive Dihydrocodeine on repeat prescription, this is not a solution for chronic pain but medical marijuana (not useless CBD “extract”), is still not available on prescription in Britain. As I have been shielding I was unable to attend my appointment with Southampton NHS neurology last year but do intend to attend one in August. With various aspects of my conditions worsening and having already attended A&E twice I don't intend to wait any longer. It is my contention that provision should be made during a pandemic for patients who require access to prescribed/recommended therapies and if this means only letting those who can prove (and with a Smart Cities card such verification is easy), their status have such access then so be it. This may sound harsh but I reiterate I've had to attend A&E twice, whilst shielding, during lock-down! "I have managed to get myself to A&E at Southampton General twice, on each occasion under lock-down and whilst “shielding”. On both occasions I was suffering from the worsening of a chronic condition due to lock-down stress. The worsening of these conditions was directly related to my inability to access the proper prescribed therapy, that of swimming/aqua-yoga/aqua-aerobics, for the serious and life-changing injuries I sustained as a teenager which caused me to suffer from tissue-damage, muscle-loss, nerve-damage, skeletal, spinal cord and circulatory problems. I managed to secure a “Smart Cities” card from the Southampton Unitary Authority the "Get Active" component of which is an entitlement as I receive PIP. What this means, effectively, is that my physician recommends that I engage in certain forms of therapy regularly and that I have a “smart-chipped” card with my photograph on it that entitles me to greater access to such therapy. As a result of not undergoing therapy I over-strained two old injuries one of which (to my back, pelvis and leg), has become considerably more troublesome and I can be virtually unable to move for days at a stretch. The A&E doctor prescribed a change of pain medication that increased my opioid dose from 4/day Co-codamol 8/500 to 6/day Dihydrocodeine 30mg and I reported to the doctor that the worsening of my condition had induced a self-harm episode. My GP has since concurred with the decision to increase my opioid dose and I now receive Dihydrocodeine on repeat prescription, this is not a solution for chronic pain but medical marijuana (not useless CBD “extract”), is still not available on prescription in Britain. As I have been shielding I was unable to attend my appointment with Southampton NHS neurology last year but do intend to attend one in August. With various aspects of my conditions worsening and having already attended A&E twice I don't intend to wait any longer. It is my contention that provision should be made during a pandemic for patients who require access to prescribed/recommended therapies and if this means only letting those who can prove (and with a Smart Cities card such verification is easy), their status have such access then so be it. This may sound harsh but I reiterate I've had to attend A&E twice, whilst shielding, during lock-down!" https://www.arafel.co.uk/2021/05/human-rights-issues-re-covid-9-why-we.html* My analysis of some of the human rights issues related to lockdown (re: provision of "aqua"/swimming therapies), has been ignored even by people like Corbyn (and I wouldn't expect the faux human rights lawyer Starmer to do anything but), and now we see provision of any kind re: those who require access to facilities offering non-weight bearing exercise being threatened (first did they come for the anti-Semites Keir?). Just remember these Tories #####s have their own pools whether private or personal and their own gyms ditto, neither do they swim in the waters around our coasts so care little how polluted they are. Why should one when one holidays in the Maldives et.al? Message Thread: "Save Our Pools!" - Gerard February 22, 2023, 11:21 am Re: "Save Our Pools!" - Gerard February 22, 2023, 1:13 pm   Searching