MAKING THE CASE TO MANAGERS, POLITICIANS, PARTNERS AND FUNDERS

Several areas should inform any consideration of the case for a free swimming initiative. A number of them are outlined below:
The Health Case
The Strengthening Communities Case
The Financial Case
Funding Opportunities
The Bigger Picture

The Health Case
Nationally the health agenda is moving towards the promotion of healthy lifestyles and the prevention of ill health.

Most health benefits can only be achieved if participation is sustained. This means there are health benefits for those involved in ongoing interventions or those for whom a one off free swim event leads them to swim regularly, or to make other lifestyle changes.

Regular physical activity can have considerable health benefits including:

• Reduced risk of coronary heart disease
• Reduced risk of developing diabetes
• Reduced risk (and reduction) of high blood pressure
• Improved mood
• Improved sleep
• Weight management

The Chief Medical Officer describes regular activity as at least 30 minutes of moderate intensity exercise on at least five days of the week.

What is moderate intensity exercise? The following activities count as moderate physical activity:

• Swimming (recreational)
  
• Water aerobics
• Treading water (slowly, moderate effort)
• Diving (springboard or platform)
  

Other forms of swimming are classed as more vigorous, but it is worth noting that most people visiting a pool are involved in levels of activity equivalent to the above.

Healthy Pools
A free swimming event/series of events can be used to showcase other elements of the health agenda such as smoking cessation services, healthy eating options and sexual health advice linked to a young people's swim. Draw other partners on board by providing such opportunities through your event.
See pitfalls for information on healthy vending.


The Strengthening Communities Case
Strengthening communities is high on the agenda for all local authorities and their partners. Work with the community development department or equivalent to look at how swimming, and free swimming interventions, can help make communities stronger.

Even one-off interventions can have an impact on communities. Taking up a new pursuit can be a life-changing experience. If the experience is a good one, for some people a first trip to the pool can lead to raised confidence levels, new contacts and new ideas.

Can you include swimming as part of a wider community event? Or offer swimming as part of your meeting room rate? Use other community events to market your facility. Go along and give out pool information and talk to people - find out why they do or do not swim and ask them what they would like to see.

Newham has evidence of a reduction in first time young offenders appearing at magistrates courts which is linked in part to free swimming. Bristol has anecdotal evidence that free swims have coincided with reduced crime figures.

The Financial Case
One of the biggest reservations over free swimming is the direct cost. There are, of course, direct short-term costs associated with providing free swimming (extra staff, loss of admission fees, etc) and some of the case studies detail the direct costs of the programme. See funding for more information on covering direct costs.

Advice from local authorities involved in developing this site would be to get the costs of free swimming initiative written into budgets of the local authority and other partners. Bring partners together to share the financial burden as they share the benefits of an effectively run scheme.

A strategic approach to offering free swimming would mean considering the following:

• Each new swimmer becomes at least an ambassador (they tell their friends) and at best an enabler (they take their kids)
• Free swim participants may become paying customers at other times
• You may attract new people to the facility who may never have set foot inside it before, or even known where it was
• You may be able to showcase new/refurbished facilities to potential paying customers
• You may raise awareness of other activities at the centre
• You may encourage parents/those not taking part directly in the free swimming to get involved in other activities
• Increased footfall means increased secondary spend on catering (see pitfalls for more on healthy vending) and kit.

There are also the longer term cost-benefit sums to do. Changing someone's lifestyle, thus greatly reducing their risk of developing certain chronic diseases, could save the local health services tens or hundreds of thousands of pounds. Similarly, giving someone a route into better community support, a volunteering opportunity leading to improved self-esteem or new employment could save local partners considerable amounts in support costs.

Clearly, not every swimmer will have their life dramatically changed, but some may.

Funding Opportunities
Make a strong enough business case based on the other agendas to which you will be contributing and negotiate funds from partners to help you subsidise the free swimming. Indirect costs such as extra staff or marketing costs may be easier to negotiate than trying to get cash for pool time.

Work with other sports
Many professional clubs are interested in working with local communities on the health agenda. Approach yours with a thought through and costed proposal. Many local clubs also have small amounts of funding, from school sports partnerships to money to support multi sport schemes.

Seek sponsorship
A free swim initiative can attract considerable press coverage and therefore can provide a good sponsorship opportunity. Could sponsorship cover a discrete part of the scheme such as prize draws or transport to the venue? Sponsors like to see the direct difference their contribution has made.

The Big Lottery Fund
Reaching Communities Grant. CLICK HERE for more details.

Primary Care Trusts
PCTs have been given money to support promotion of physical activity. This money was given as part of a wider budget and, as such, for many it has proven difficult to tap into. But do discuss with the PCT(s) in your area - your local Trust will have staff tasked with increasing participation in physical activity and they may be able to offer expertise and time.

Neighbourhood Renewal Fund
Some areas have been able to use NRF money to support swimming and free/subsidised swimming initiatives.

EMAIL US with suggestions of other funding you have been able to access.