Over 1,700 people supported into using public swimming pools

Places Leisure, working with charity Face Everything and Rise (FEAR), have facilitated access to swimming for over 1,700 people who’re artificially fed or receiving treatment via a central line since 2023. The initiative was recently Highly Commended at the UKActive Awards in the Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Award category.

Most recent research suggests that there are 30,000 people in the UK with a feeding tube and 1,800 people with a central line (for intravenous nutrition). In addition to this, there are thousands of individuals in England who have a central line for chemotherapy and dialysis.

Places Leisure and FEAR host events to allow individuals affected to swim in a safe environment. With the launch events attracting people from over 100 miles away, and the majority of participants travelling over an hour after being turned away from their local pools, they are now held twice a month and are hosted all over the UK.

The events themselves provide a fun, supportive environment where families can swim together with confidence, using a variety of inflatables, flumes and splashpads with sessions available currently at Places Leisure sites: Rotherham Leisure Centre, Romsey Rapids, Triangle Leisure Centre (Burgess Hill, West Sussex) and Camberley Leisure Centre.

A challenge faced by this community is access to drysuits, with each suit costing from £345 upwards, particularly with growing children.  FEAR have a loan system to borrow dry suits but with a long waiting list, people are still missing out.  Places Leisure funded additional suits last year to help ease the waiting list and allow more people to access the water.

Even with the use of drysuits and protective dressings, many leisure operators struggle to support individuals with central lines due to barriers, such as inadequate risk assessments, lack of availability, or insufficient knowledge/staff training. Places Leisure has made adaptations to their swimwear and operational policies, trained staff and funded drysuits to help many people access the water.

Mark Haslam, Head of Swimming and Sports at Places Leisure, said: “The ability to go for a swim at a public pool is something that most of the population take for granted but those reliant on a central line have been marginalised for too long.

“Building on the great work of FEAR, we wanted to do all we could to make sure people were not being excluding from enjoying and staying active at a local pool like everyone else.

“Holding sessions specifically for people who are reliant on a central line means any stigma or nervousness they feel is significantly reduced as they can enjoy their time in the pool with people in the same position.

“The response and feedback from customers has been remarkable and we look forward to expanding the sessions even further and doubling attendees in 2025 so we can rightly make swimming accessible and enjoyable for those who have been unfairly excluded. Staying active and enjoying exercise is everyone’s right and that is at the heart of everything we do.”

Founder of FEAR, Kim Purkis, is a former diver diagnosed with intestinal failure. Recognising the lack of support for individuals with central lines, she founded the charity to enable people who’re receiving treatment through a central line, to enjoy aquatic activities often for the first time.

Kim Purkis said: “To have a leading leisure company like Places Leisure fully support the use of drysuits across their pools is huge. Despite drysuits offering a safe way for people using central lines to be able to swim, barriers remain in place such as risk assessments or access to equipment.

“When you then consider the expense of drysuits, it’s yet another obstacle for families which is why we have worked so hard to be able to offer a loan system for those who need it and we’re really grateful for the support Places Leisure has provided so we can offer more.

“In a short space of time we have been able to make huge strides and have offered more than one thousand people to chance to swim in a public pool which for far too long has been impossible or daunting. This is just the start and we will continue to fight to give everyone with a central line the same opportunities as everyone else.”

To ensure accessibility for all, Places Leisure and Level Water have worked together on a pilot initiative to embed aquatic inclusion specialists across 12 centres. These inclusion specialists will develop a programme of accessible swimming lessons including 1:1, small group and supported mainstream options. FEAR attendees have been given priority to book onto these new lesson opportunities.

Fee, a parent of a participant, said: “We discovered FEAR last year and were very excited to attend the swimming events.  Being able to access a pool where the charity has full exclusivity is amazing! Mabel struggles in a public pool session but with FEAR the sessions are quieter and we have full access to a changing facility. The FEAR team are always on hand to offer support and it’s been lovely to meet other families in a similar situation.  We’ve loved being able to go swimming as a family, something many people take for granted.”

To learn more about the swimming events and to find your nearest, visit: FEAR Days — Face Everything & Rise