London Mayor Boris Johnson has announced plans for a £7.5 million program of investment in community sports facilities, with the aim to make Londoners more active and healthy.

Gladiators stars Enigma and Doom joined the Mayor and his Commissioner for Sport Kate Hoey on a visit to Greenwood primary school in Ealing, where pupils tried out a mobile pool that has been temporarily installed for use by the school and the local community.

The pool is part of PlaySport London: Make a Splash, a new scheme that offers swimming in parts of London without facilities, which is being delivered in partnership with The Variety Club Children’s Charity, serviced office providers MWBex, the Amateur Swimming Association, Total Swimming and London Swimming.

The Mayor said: The Mayor said: ‘Swimming is a fantastic sport, great exercise, and also wonderful fun. Yet finding a place to swim is not as simple as going out for a jog. We’ve taken the plunge with Make a Splash and as it streams across the capital thousands more Londoners – whatever their age, novice or otherwise – will be able to practise their strokes. This is only the start – we will be confirming further details of our £7.5m investment in community sports facilities over the coming months, which will mean many more Londoners will be able to try out a sport and get more active.’

PlaySport London: Make a Splash sees the Mayor delivering on one of the commitments made in ‘A Sporting Future for London’, his sports legacy plan for the capital. The aim is to increase participation in sport and physical activity by children and adults across the capital and help tackle health issues such as obesity. It builds on recent initiatives, such as the PlaySport London funding program and September’s Street Athletics scheme. Plans to offer tennis are set to be announced in the New Year and a range of sports – Olympic and otherwise – will benefit, including a scheme for disabled young Londoners.

For this first scheme, the Mayor and the Make a Splash partners have funded two swimming pools, which will be placed in three venues each during the next year. Pools will be hosted by London boroughs and operate six or seven days a week from 9am to 9pm. They will offer intensive classes to all age groups, including adult and child sessions and 60+ classes. Over 75 per cent of the users of these pools are expected to be non-swimmers and there will be experienced instructors on hand. It is envisaged that there will be 800-1000 swims per week in the pools, which will be in situ for between 12-15 weeks.

The first pool will remain at Greenwood primary school until 19 December and a second pool is being introduced in the new year, meaning many more will have a chance to take up the scheme.

Managing Director of Total Swimming, Steve Parry, the former British swimming captain and Athens Olympic Bronze medalist, said: We just want to get more Londoners swimming. It is one of the safest forms of exercise, but it’s a sport that could potentially save your life. Plus, if you want to take up any of the popular watersports, whether sailing, windsurfing, or sub-aqua diving, you need to be competent in the water.

Kenneth R Mustoe, Chief Barker, Variety Club, said: ‘We are very proud to be working on this project with PlaySport, London Swimming and MWB Business Exchange. This mobile pool will give thousands of children the opportunity to get in the water and try a new experience. As well as helping them have fun getting fit, it opens up an exciting sport to them and helps them gain confidence in their own abilities. At The Variety Club we try and make sure that every child and young person has the chance to reach their potential. This is a fantastic project bringing young people together both in their school and local community.’

John Spencer, Chief Executive of MWB Business Exchange, commented: ‘We are delighted to be involved in this exciting project. Sport is a real passion of mine and to give children the opportunity to get fit and in some cases try something new can only be a real positive. The Make a Splash initiative is the ideal vehicle to do this.’

David Sparkes, the ASA Chief Executive said: ‘Swimming is a vital life skill and a fun activity. As the governing body involved in every component of swimming the ASA wants everyone to have the opportunity to learn to swim and enjoy swimming both for health and enjoyment. Initiatives such as this are an excellent way of giving young and disadvantaged people the opportunity to try swimming and develop skills for life.’

Jim Britzman, headteacher at Greenwood primary school said: ‘The Make a Splash swimming pool has been an exciting initiative for Greenwood Primary School to be involved in, the children have loved the pool! To see children who have never been swimming before enter the water, overcoming their fears has been an outstanding success.’

Anne Hayes, headteacher at Wood End primary school, which is next door, added: ‘Make a Splash has provided our children and their families with an amazing opportunity! Half the school has had lessons on a weekly basis and huge numbers of them have learned to swim during the last five weeks. This is a skill for life as well as opening up a pathway to having fun in water. They love it love it love it!’

Councillor Phil Taylor, Cabinet Member for Customer and Community Services, said: ‘I’m pleased the pool has benefited so many people that either weren’t able to swim before or needed to build their confidence in the water. There’s still plenty of time left for people who haven’t had the chance to try out the temporary pool, and they will be able to continue to improve at Northolt Leisure Centre, which opens in January.’

Source: London.gov

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