Archived press release

Date Published: 26/06/07

Adults and children will be able to swim for £1 at the Aqua Vale Swimming and Fitness Centre in Aylesbury as part of a national scheme to promote healthier living. Aylesbury Vale District Council has teamed up with leisure centres operator ...

Adults and children will be able to swim for £1 at the Aqua Vale Swimming and Fitness Centre in Aylesbury as part of a national scheme to promote healthier living.

Aylesbury Vale District Council has teamed up with leisure centres operator Serco and the Bucks & Milton Keynes Sports Partnership to offer families with children aged between five and 11 years old the chance to enjoy discounted swimming sessions during the school summer holidays.

The offer is part of the UK-wide Kellogg’s Swim Active programme, which provides young people and their families with easier access to swimming facilities. The scheme aims to break down the barriers which prevent people participating to ensure everybody has the opportunity to enjoy swimming as part of a healthy, balanced lifestyle.

This year’s programme at Aqua Vale will be launched on 30 June with fun water-based activities for families between 12 noon and 1pm. Representatives from AVDC and Serco will also be on hand to provide further information about the project.

Swim Active started in Aylesbury last summer when more than 100 adults and children took part in the discounted swimming sessions during the school holidays. This year’s offer will be available to residents living in the Walton Court, Southcourt, Quarrendon and Meadowcroft areas within Aylesbury, and includes transport to and from the centre.

The scheme targets people in areas which, from the council’s extensive research, do not participate as actively in swimming as other local communities. Through the programme, the council has encouraged participants to take as much advantage of its swimming facilities as other members of the community.

The project has been made possible by a £15,000 grant by the Amateur Swimming Association and Kellogg’s with contributions from both AVDC and Serco, who operate Aqua Vale on behalf of the council. AVDC is aiming to extend the scheme to other Aylesbury town wards and rural areas surrounding Buckingham later this year.

Councillor David Thompson, Cabinet Member for Leisure, said: This programme is a fantastic opportunity for school aged children and their families to take up swimming and increase their physical activity levels in a fun and welcoming environment. We are pleased to be part of this scheme and hope it will encourage many people to swim at Aqua Vale who might not have done otherwise.”

The one hour sessions (half lesson, half leisure swim) will run between 9.30am and 10.30am every Monday and Wednesday during the school summer holidays from 23 July to 29 August.

To find out more information regarding the Swim Active scheme, including how to register your place, please visit the council’s website at www.aylesburyvaledc.gov.uk under Your Leisure or call 01296 585090