Dive into the pool, for free
Chuka Umunna, Labour’s Parliamentary Candidate for Streatham draws attention to free swimming provision for the over 60s and under 16s with this letter published in last week’s Streatham Guardian on 18 December 2008.
Coming in the same month that the double Olympic gold swimming champion, Rebecca Adlington, came third in the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award, readers will be pleased with the latest investment in swimming which has just been announced.
The decision by Lambeth Council to participate in a £140 million government scheme means that our swimming pool in Streatham is amongst a host of others across Lambeth that will be able to provide free swimming to the over 60s and under 16s.
Having swum with locally based Leander Swimming Club for over 10 years at pools across South London, I am especially delighted at this decision to expand the local provision. Local residents will get to benefit directly from the scheme as swimming is one of the best ways to keep fit. I also know that it can be quite expensive, so it’s great that swimming will now be free for the age groups concerned.
The scheme demonstrates that Labour in government and in Lambeth takes the health of the community seriously. We all know that regular exercise is good for us, and we also know that, whether we are young or old, swimming is something people can do together as a family.
Above all, this initiative will help Lambeth to secure its own sporting legacy post 2012 and hopefully ensure we have many of our own Rebecca Adlingtons in the future!
Chuka Umunna, Labour Parliamentary Candidate for Streatham
