[jambutty]

Originally Posted by katex

It is also being offered to children under 16 too Jambutty.

The main aim is to try and get these categories fitter and therefore save on health bills, 'tis well-known that swimming is extremely beneficial to all types of conditions.

I, myself, go swimming three times per week . o.k. am in a private gym, and a younger type pensioner ... I don't know how long I will be able to sustain this membership moneywise, so will be grateful of the freebie. There are always lots of people there older than me who struggle to walk, have had strokes, broken bones, arthritis. They find it difficult to walk alongside the pools, but when they get in the water, their movement is much improved, and obviously of great enjoyment to them.

It is proposed that swimming will be free for all by 2012.

And so it should. But that is nothing new.

When I was at school, once a week my class (and all the other classes in all the other schools) were taken by an Accrington Corporation bus to Scaitcliffe Baths for free, where those who could not swim were taught to swim. Those of us who could already swim would help the non-swimmers and also swim around.

Then the bus brought us back to school.

It was the same with sports. Football up at King George’s playing fields in winter and cricket in summer.

If the plan is for free swimming for all, what will happen when just 1% of the Accrington population decides to go swimming each day? Pool grid lock???