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Swim England is calling on the Government to help prevent hundreds of swimming pools at risk of being mothballed due to the Coronavirus lockdown. The national governing body fears potentially up to 10 per cent of the 5,000 swimming pools in England will stay shut even after restrictions are eased by the Government.

Discussions between Swim England and pool operators and owners has revealed how financial worries and the cost of bringing a pool out of lockdown may result in facilities remaining closed indefinitely. Swim England is now asking the Government to ensure that financial support is available to help pools and ensure that communities do not lose a facility, which generates significant social value. Detailed guidance and support to help pools reopen is also being developed by Swim England.

Swim England has released The Importance of Pools Post-lockdown document, which details how a 25-metre pool can generate £7.2 million social value in community savings, and save the NHS and social care system more than £1.2 million. Swim England’s Value of Swimming report, published last November, also revealed that aquatic activity helps to save the health and social care system more than £357 million pounds per year.

Before the lockdown around 14 million adults in England went swimming each year, with more than one million children learning to swim outside of school through Swim England’s Learn to Swim programmes. Swim England is, and will be, working with key partners and colleagues in the sector to set out specific guidance for each of the disciplines and activities.

Jane Nickerson, Swim England chief executive, said: “It is clear that facilities have been hit hard by the impact of Covid-19, and there is a real concern that some pools will not reopen. Whilst we understand the recent impact on the public purse, it would be a short-sighted view to not invest in swimming pools today which we know will have a bigger, long-term impact on the health and well-being of our society. That is why it is so important that pools are given the necessary support to reopen their doors for people to enjoy once more.”

She continued: “We know that swimming improves people’s physical and mental well-being, supports community cohesion and saves the NHS hundreds of millions of pounds each year. Swimming can tackle a number of the problems facing society, particularly at the moment, in a way that other sports cannot. Swimming pools generate huge amounts of social value for their local communities, with people of all ages able to enjoy them. For some, they are the only appropriate environment that enables them to be active and transform their lives. We ask that all partners, stakeholders and the Government support our commitment to reopen all pools as soon as it is safe to do so.”

Issued 7 May 2020

Swim England and the Institute of Swimming have issued some expert advice to its’ members, affiliated clubs and customers regarding the safe use of video conference technology. Both organisations have been using Zoom to stage internal and external meetings during the Covid-19 outbreak, which has  enabled the organisations to communicate widely during this time and directly with people at home.

For many this will be the first time using video conferencing, so Swim England and the Institute of Swimming have produced guidance to ensure video meetings are secure and safe. A Swim England spokesperson said: “More and more people are using technology to communicate during the Coronavirus lockdown. It is a vital tool for meetings and also just keeping in touch with friends and family. We recommend you use our top tips which apply not only to Zoom but also other third-party chat tools.  Please read the advice from the National Security Cyber Centre. The important thing to remember is to update the Zoom app to the latest version. Version five has just been released.”

Here are the do’s and don’ts hosts should follow when creating a meeting to ensure that it is safe.

Swim England has also developed some support videos for the utilisation of Zoom. The videos cover essential functions, how to navigate Zoom, and how to use specific Zoom features. They can be viewed by clicking here.

Issued 6 May 2020

Swim England has provided initial guidance for UK Active and the Sport and Recreation Alliance on how to re-open more than 4,000 of the country’s swimming pools. In consultation with key partners, the national governing body will now start to develop more detailed recommendations for operators, clubs, swim schools and stakeholders, which will be based on the latest scientific guidance on measures needed to ensure the safe use of facilities following the Coronavirus lockdown.

Swim England has been working closely with pool operators on how to maintain pools since they were shut on Friday 20 March by the Government. Webinars, technical Q&As, and advice on how to hibernate pools or manage the facility during the lockdown have been shared with hundreds of local authorities and facility owners. The next step will be emergence, and detailed plans will be produced when the Government unveils its’ exit strategy from the lockdown.

Swim England Head of Facilities, Richard Lamburn, said: “We’ve been in discussions with government departments and provided initial guidance on the re-opening of swimming pools. The science and understanding of Covid-19 in the swimming pool environment is evolving every day, and we are continuing to monitor and support research in this area in co-operation with international partners. We will be developing our guidance in line with scientific research and alongside the information from the Government on the national exit of the lockdown.”

Ensuring information is in place 

Lamburn further stated: “The exit strategy will have a significant impact on how the sector can operate and, until these exact details are known, we won’t be issuing any detailed advice. However, we are working hard to ensure that the information is in place ready for when the Government announces the easing of the measures.”

Swim England would ideally like up to three weeks’ notice for the industry to get pools ready for use again. However, Swim England is endeavouring to support the industry, whatever the time frame, to ensure facilities are safe and ready for swimmers to return to the pool following the enforced closure. A number of procedures need to be carried out, such as re-heating the pool, which can only be increased by 0.25 degrees an hour, and ensuring that the water has passed a micro-biological test.

“We have been in regular communication with key stakeholders regarding the impact on facilities and have also been sharing knowledge and information with Sport England, Swim Ireland, Scottish Swimming and Swim Wales”, Lamburn added. “A lot of pools have never closed before so we’ve been providing the guidance and support needed to local authorities and operators to ensure they were safely shut down and maintained.”

Swim England also sits on the Pool Water Treatment Advisory Group’s Technical and executive committee to assist with detailed guidance notes on the closure and reopening of facilities.

Issued 29 April 2020

Swim England is bringing in new guidelines for its affiliated clubs in a bid to show those clubs have the highest standards of safe and effective practice in place. The Stronger Affiliation process is being introduced so new and existing members know clubs are well run and that their personnel have the necessary safeguarding checks in place to ensure members’ safety. For further information please visit – https://www.swimming.org/swimengland/stronger-affiliation-process/

What will it mean for your club?

If your club is already SwimMark accredited, your club just needs to maintain accreditation. Clubs that have not completed SwimMark will have to provide six pieces of evidence to remain affiliated to Swim England on an annual basis. The six pieces of evidence are:

1. Approved Club Constitution
2. Risk Assessments
3. Club Personnel Record (to include qualifications, valid DBS and approved Safeguarding training) – including information on the Coaching & Teaching Register
4. Safeguarding and Protecting Children and Time to Listen certificates for the Club Welfare Officer.
5. Welfare Officer compliance statement
6. Club Chair compliance statement

If a club provides all of the above information, then it will be compliant for Swim England changes in 2021. Further guidance can be found on the Stronger Affiliation Matrix. Failure to meet this new minimum standard of compliance will result in a club being suspended temporarily or permanently from Swim England at the beginning of 2021.

What are the next steps for your club?

All clubs that are currently SwimMark accredited will not have to provide the six pieces of evidence as they have already met this standard as part of their SwimMark accreditation process. However, this is under the proviso that the club’s SwimMark accreditation is maintained.

Clubs which do not have SwimMark accreditation will need to complete the Stronger Affiliation process. The next online live webinar to demonstrate how clubs can complete the Stronger Affiliation process will be held on Monday 18 May, 7pm-8.30pm. To book your space, email clubdevelopment@swimming.org providing your name, club name and your position within the club. You will then be emailed a link to access the live webinar. This is currently the last Stronger Affiliation webinar that the Swim England South West Region has scheduled, however the Region will consider scheduling further webinars based on demand.

When is the deadline for completion?

All non-SwimMark clubs will be able to submit evidence for Stronger Affiliation to an online portal from 1 June 2020. All evidence will need to be uploaded by 16 November 2020 so that it can be checked and approved by the Swim England South West Region ahead of the national deadline of 1 December 2020.

Swim England is to temporarily stop issuing licences for swimming competitions across the country. The decision covers competitions at levels 1, 2, 3 and 4 and includes events which have already been scheduled for later this year.

Tom Baster, the chairperson of Swim England’s Swimming Leadership Group, said the decision had been taken to ensure swimmers have a safe return to competitive action when lockdown restrictions are eventually lifted. He said: “The Swim England Swimming Leadership Group is currently working alongside the other aquatic disciplines on a detailed plan to ensure a safe and successful return to the water. This will be implemented when Government guidance makes it possible for our sport to recommence. As part of that planning, we have taken the decision to temporarily suspend the granting of licences for swimming competitions at levels 1,2, 3 and 4. Gala organisers are requested not to submit any further applications to their regional licensing officers until further notice, although they can continue to consult with regional licensing officers about their plans throughout this period. Whilst our plans remain necessarily fluid at this stage, it is clear that in the interests of athlete development and safety and an effective and coordinated competition calendar, licensed competition cannot recommence on the day that pools reopen.”

A timeline for the appropriate reintroduction of competition will be published once further information on the easing of lockdown and social distancing measures becomes available. All licensed events currently scheduled on the Swim England website are therefore to be regarded as provisional in status, pending the release of further information. In planning for a return to competition, other events such as leagues and Masters will also be considered and further information will be released in due course.

Tom Baster concluded: “Everyone is trying to plan for an as yet unknown return to activity date and this clearly causes challenges for all involved in our great sport. We appreciate your support in navigating this issue as successfully as possible to deliver an outcome in the best interests of the participants and all other stakeholders.”

Issued 23 April 2020