Everyday Swim names its first five programme coordinators

The first wave of the Amateur Swimming Association's (ASA) pioneering £3m Everyday Swim projects are about to get underway with the appointment of programme coordinators in five areas across the country.

Coordinators for pilots in Woking, Suffolk, Wirral, Easington and Telford & Wrekin have been appointed and are working with local partners to get more people active through swimming.

Projects are varied and will tackle issues such as childhood obesity, access to water time, and access for rural communities, as well as working with groups known to be underrepresented in swimming including people with a disability, low income families and black and minority ethnic communities.

Everyday Swim is a ground-breaking national initiative led by the ASA and funded by Sport England set to break down the barriers to swimming and drive a culture change in facilities across the country. It aims to provide a best practice blueprint to be shared with leisure providers in order increase participation in aquatic activity in Britain.

Three other successful pilot areas - Kirklees, Islington and Lewisham, are soon to appoint their coordinators and the ASA is also looking to develop projects in the East Midlands and the South West of England.

Everyday Swim ambassador and swimming legend Duncan Goodhew met the coordinators at their induction earlier this month.

'Because inactive people cite swimming as the activity they would most like to do, Everyday Swim offers an extremely exciting opportunity for improving the health of our nation,' he said. 'In terms of health and fitness, swimming is the best all round form of exercise and already the most popular physical activity.

'Now the challenge for us all, and in particular the Everyday Swim Coordinators, is to find new and innovative ways of encouraging different communities into the pool for a good regular swim.'

ASA Swimming Activity Manager Kate Sargant is excited to see the coordinators in place: 'It's fantastic to have the first five coordinators on board and see the Everyday Swim projects get underway. The local projects are at the centre of Everyday Swim and it's great that they will have such strong leadership.

'Everyday Swim is a huge resource for the whole swimming industry, and beyond. The evidence gathered will be shared nationally for others to use to get many more people swimming and enjoying aquatic activity.

'The coordinators have a big task ahead of them, but they are already starting to make an impact. Partners in the ASA Regions and pilot areas have given the coordinators a very warm welcome and are working closely with them to get the projects off the ground."

The Everyday Swim coordinators are as follows:

Woking - James Barter

Suffolk - Helen Graupp-Fisher

Wirral - Karen James

Easington - Duane Newton

Telford & Wrekin - Matt Shields

Source: ASA