This page contains information on the benefits of swimming and the rationale behind the Free Swimming model.
Why Swimming?
Why Use Free Swimming?

WHY SWIMMING?

• Swimming is a life skill and does save lives
• Swimming is accessible for some people for whom other forms of physical activity are difficult - those with mobility problems for example and those who want low impact exercise
• Swimming encompasses a wide range of activity (funs sessions, Aquafit, water circuits, synchro, water polo (or mini polo) as well as swimming lessons and length swimming)
• Individuals can swim alone or through informal or organised groups
• Families can swim together
• Swimming is an activity for all ages
• Swimming is a gateway to all aquatic sports rowing, surfing, sailing, scuba diving etc
• Swimming clubs and other organised groups offer volunteering and career/personal development opportunities

WHY USE FREE SWIMMING?

The simple rationale for using free swimming is that cost is one of the barriers to participation. By removing that barrier you make swimming accessible for more people.

So is price a barrier?
For some people it is. Evidence from Dorset for example shows that the increase in attendance was greater for free swimming initiatives in deprived areas than in more affluent areas. While there may have been other factors at play (for example choice of local activities, etc) this would suggest that price is in some instances a barrier.

Cost can also be a psychological barrier. Free swimming may attract people who are able but unwilling to pay for something they are unsure of.

Is swimming expensive?
A swim is usually inexpensive if compared to gym sessions and fitness classes, but for most people the financial comparison is not that simple:

• A family is far less likely to attend a gym or a fitness class and therefore the relative good value of a family swim is irrelevant.
• Alternatives to swimming may be playing with friends, watching TV or going for a walk. These activities are free at the point of use and don't carry the costs associated with swimming (e.g. travel and parking, and the time investment in getting changed).
• For regular swimmers the total weekly cost can add up.

How about a small charge?
We would be interested to hear from people who have tried both free and reduced price swimming to get a better picture of the successes in these approaches. Greenwich, for example, offered swimming for £1 in the summer of 2005, and numbers still increased. However others who have tried swims for a small charge have found they did not attract swimmers other than those who would have swum anyway. We would like to use this site to explore this issue further.

A common concern is that offering something for free means that people do not value it. Newham reported lower drop out rates when a small sum was charged for swimming lessons for example than when the same sessions were offered free of charge.

There are ways in which you can keep some value attached to even a completely free swim.

• Operating a ticket system whereby participants need a voucher -maintaining a sense of exclusivity (even if it is easily obtained, e.g. handed out at school or cut out from a local paper).
• Limiting access to the free session - for example by making access for a child free with a paying adult.
• Holding a free session exclusively for certain age groups - Newham report a 200% increase in over 60s swimming following a day time free swimming offer.
• Offering free swimming for participants who have been referred, as they have done in Plymouth. Part of the success of the Plymouth LEAP project is that the participants feel part of something - the activity is free, but because the sessions are tailored and access limited the young people value their opportunity.

Providing swimming for free is a bigger 'story' for attracting press attention and it also offers a 'nothing to lose' element.

A free offer may also encourage people who are considering using their local pool but never quite get round to it!

Has free swimming brought in new participants?
The case studies provide mixed evidence here. Some pools show no significant extra numbers or newcomers from their free swims, others have been inundated.

Research carried out by the Greater London Assembly (GLA), Department of Health and five East London Boroughs and their operators reported that 44% of participants in their Kids Swim Free campaign were from socio economic groups D and E (unskilled labour/unemployed/long term sick) for whom cost is likely to be a barrier. This is compared to the usual percentage of around 30% (for example, in Newham).