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In a recent report commissioned by the National Governing body for Swimming, exercise in water and swimming in particular, is proved to have a positive effect on mental health.

The Swim England report goes on to say  “ research reveals that 1.4 million adults in Britain felt that swimming had significantly reduced their symptoms of anxiety or depression. Swimming is also associated with improved sleep and improved quality of life in people with long-term conditions”

The YouGov poll, commissioned by Swim England, reveals that as a direct result of swimming: 492,000 British adults with mental health conditions have reduced the number of visits to medical professionals regarding their mental health and have reduced or no longer take medication for their mental health.

As a form of physical exercise, swimming is hard to beat. However, in addition to all the obvious physical health benefits, there’s something mentally therapeutic about being near or in water that’s much harder to put your finger on. If you’re a regular swimmer, you’ve no doubt experienced it yourself.

Once you overcome the barriers that stop two thirds of the country ever getting wet, the feeling can become addictive. According to writer Mike James the benefits are enormous,

“Regular swimming, even just half an hour at a time, is known to be effective for lowering incidences of depression and anxiety and improve sleep patterns. Swimming releases endorphins, the natural feelgood hormones that lead us to experience a greater sense of happiness and wellbeing.

Swimming is a fun and effective way to relieve stress, possibly more so than other type of physical exercise. Being in contact with water, by itself, can help to loosen up both body and mind. Better still, being immersed in water while swimming, playing close attention to your technique as you practise the regular rhythm of your swimming strokes can have a very relaxing, almost meditative effect on the mind.

What’s more, scientific studies in rats have shown that swimming can help generate new brain cells in those parts of the brain where chronic stress has led to cell deterioration – it’s a process called hippocampal neurogenesis. While the research has not progressed far enough to be able to make any firm predictions for humans, it is just possible that swimming might enhance our ability to process stress more easily.

While 1 in 6 people in the UK suffer from depression, physical activity such as swimming can lead to a 30% improvement in self-worth, increasing general satisfaction in life. In research carried out with the participation of 4,000 swimmers across the world, ¾ agreed that water based activities helped release tension, while 68% of people felt being in the water made them feel happier in themselves

“For adults living with conditions such as dementia, swimming is a great way to improve memory, focus and concentration. A recent study showed that being immersed in water boosts the blood flow to the brain. This increases the supply of oxygen, glucose and nutrients which would suggest a positive impact on brain health.

Blue is abundant throughout the natural world – it’s associated with water, the colour of the vast ocean and the endless sky. The human body is made of about 70% water – no wonder, then, that many people feel drawn towards water and that being near the sea has a soothing influence on the mind”

 Shirley Pool Timetable

Learn more about adult learn to Swim Now      Book a free trail adult lesson

Read more on the benefits of swimming

Read about the middle aged Dad who decided to have lessons at Shirley Pool and has now swum the Channel

Swim England Report

In a recent report published by Swim England it was revealed that as many as one in three adults in the UK cannot swim 25m (14 million).

However, that should not stop adults going to the swimming pool!

The report goes on to show the overwhelming benefits of regular exercise in water, not just swimming.

“With 70 per cent of the NHS budget being spent on chronic diseases, such as diabetes and heart disease, regular physical activity like swimming can reduce occurrence of these conditions by 20-40 per cent. One million people in the UK will have dementia by 2025, and this will increase to two million by 2050, costing £26 billion a year in the UK.

 Participants in Swim England’s Dementia Friendly Swimming project identified improvements in their wellbeing, including pain reduction, balance, functional capability and fitness as well as improvements in their mental health, mood, confidence, ability to concentrate and reduced anxiety.”

Walking lanes have become a popular activity at the Shirley Pool with a dedicated lane every morning and evening. Combined with the daytime Aquasize session (Tuesday’s 11am), there are more sessions than ever for those who want to take the weight off their feet.

 Swim England: “Due to the unique properties of water, swimming can help people with long-term health conditions to be more active. The buoyancy supports those with balance problems and helps to reduce the risk and fear of falling.

“Water-based activity also places less stress on the joints and makes exercise more comfortable and practical than on dry land. This benefits people with musculoskeletal conditions such as osteoarthritis. Musculoskeletal conditions affected an estimated 18.8 million people across the UK in 2017 and accounted for more than 22 per cent of the total burden of ill health (morbidity) in the UK.12 The Chief Medical Officers’ Physical Activity Guidelines highlighted the importance of daily, moderate-to vigorous intensity activity, including strengthening activities, with additional requirements for balance and flexibility activities for older adults.

The Health Commission’s Health and Wellbeing Benefits of Swimming report also recognised the important role that water plays in providing an environment where these strengthening, flexibility and balance exercises can be undertaken”

Read more about the man who couldn’t swim, came for lessons at Shirley Pool and has now swum the Channel.

Read more about adult lessons at Shirley Pool

Book a free trail lesson for adults

Look up the pool timetable

The Swim England report on the value of swimming gives a damming insight to the state of children’s swimming.

In the last school year, 1 in 4 primary children left school unable to swim.

“ For some children, school is the only place they will have the opportunity to learn to swim. Yet, despite swimming being on the national curriculum, too many children are being failed by the system with 23 per cent of children leaving primary school unable to swim the statutory 25 metres while one in five cannot self-rescue.

Swimming ability is also affected by location. Only 45 per cent of children and young people going to school in the most deprived areas of the country can swim 25 metres, compared to 76 per cent in the least deprived areas.”

Despite receiving extra funding, on average £20,000 a year, hard pressed schools are channelling the money into other non-curriculum activities and even to pay wages, rather than boost their children’s swimming.

 Quoting lack of staff and support teachers to cover the activity, many schools fail to achieve the government guidelines or to publish their results, despite the scrutiny of Ofsted.

Some parents believe it is the schools responsibility to teach the children but like any learning that takes place at school, it should be backed up and reinforced by parents at home.

Shirley Pool has an open offer  to guarantee that every child attending with a school will learn to swim but so far there has been little uptake from the local schools.

It looks like it is down to the parents to ensure their children are safe in the water.

Book a free trial now, no payments until February 2020

Baby free trail

Toddler free trial

School age child free trial

Chris Cole was terrified of water when he came for his first swimming lesson at Shirley Pool. Nine years later he was in a team that swam the English Channel. Now Swim England, the National Governing Body of Swimming, have recognised his achievements at a glamorous presentation event.

The award came at the Annual Swimming Awards Ceremony in Birmingham, where Chris was awarded the Silver trophy for Adult Achievement.

Chris Cole (49) decided to start lessons at the Shirley Swimming Pool after all his children had become strong swimmers at the pool,

“ I knew the pool had a good reputation and yet the thought of swimming filled me with anxiety and embarrassment” said the GP from Marchwood.

Not only did Chris learn to swim, he became hooked on open water swimming and progressed so well that he was able to join the Shirley Pool team that swam the English Channel in August 2019.

” To anyone out there feeling nervous I would urge them to give it a try. I’m no athlete – if I can do it, anyone can.”

 In August 2020 Chris has a slot booked to attempt a solo crossing of the Channel.

Chris Cole was chosen because he set such a good example to other non swimming adults.

In a recent report published by Swim England it was revealed that as many as one in three adults in the UK cannot swim 25m (14 million).

The report goes on to show the overwhelming evidence of regular exercise in water, not just swimming.

“With 70 per cent of the NHS budget being spent on chronic diseases, such as diabetes and heart disease, regular physical activity like swimming can reduce occurrence of these conditions by 20-40 per cent. One million people in the UK will have dementia by 2025, and this will increase to two million by 2050, costing £26 billion a year in the UK.

 Participants in Swim England’s Dementia Friendly Swimming project identified improvements in their wellbeing, including pain reduction, balance, functional capability and fitness as well as improvements in their mental health, mood, confidence, ability to concentrate and reduced anxiety.”

Walking lanes have become a popular activity at the Shirley Pool with a dedicated lane every morning and evening. Combined with the daytime Aquasize session (Tuesdays 11am), there are more sessions than ever for those who want to take the weight off their feet.

 Swim England: “Due to the unique properties of water, swimming can help people with long-term health conditions to be more active. The buoyancy supports those with balance problems and helps to reduce the risk and fear of falling. “Water-based activity also places less stress on the joints and makes exercise more comfortable and practical than on dry land. This benefits people with musculoskeletal conditions such as osteoarthritis. Musculoskeletal conditions affected an estimated 18.8 million people across the UK in 2017 and accounted for more than 22 per cent of the total burden of ill health (morbidity) in the UK.12

The Chief Medical Officers’ Physical Activity Guidelines highlighted the importance of daily, moderate-to vigorous intensity activity, including strengthening activities, with additional requirements for balance and flexibility activities for older adults.

The Health Commission’s Health and Wellbeing Benefits of Swimming report also recognised the important role that water plays in providing an environment where these strengthening, flexibility and balance exercises can be undertaken”

Mental Health and Swimming

The report goes on to say  “Swim England research reveals that 1.4 million adults in Britain felt that swimming had significantly reduced their symptoms of anxiety or depression. Swimming is also associated with improved sleep and improved quality of life in people with long-term conditions”

The YouGov poll, commissioned by Swim England, reveals that as a direct result of swimming: 492,000 British adults with mental health conditions have reduced the number of visits to medical professionals regarding their mental health and have reduced or no longer take medication for their mental health.”

As a form of physical exercise, swimming is hard to beat. However, in addition to all the obvious physical health benefits, there’s something mentally therapeutic about being near or in water that’s much harder to put your finger on. If you’re a regular swimmer, you’ve no doubt experienced it yourself.

Once you overcome the barriers that stop two thirds of the country ever getting wet, the feeling can become addictive. According to writer Mike James the benefits are enormous,

“Regular swimming, even just half an hour at a time, is known to be effective for lowering incidences of depression and anxiety and improve sleep patterns.

Swimming releases endorphins, the natural feelgood hormones that lead us to experience a greater sense of happiness and wellbeing.

Swimming is a fun and effective way to relieve stress, possibly more so than other type of physical exercise. Being in contact with water, by itself, can help to loosen up both body and mind.

Better still, being immersed in water while swimming, playing close attention to your technique as you practise the regular rhythm of your swimming strokes can have a very relaxing, almost meditative effect on the mind.

What’s more, scientific studies in rats have shown that swimming can help generate new brain cells in those parts of the brain where chronic stress has led to cell deterioration – it’s a process called hippocampal neurogenesis.

While the research has not progressed far enough to be able to make any firm predictions for humans, it is just possible that swimming might enhance our ability to process stress more easily.

While 1 in 6 people in the UK suffer from depression, physical activity such as swimming can lead to a 30% improvement in self-worth, increasing general satisfaction in life. In research carried out with the participation of 4,000 swimmers across the world, three 75% agreed that water based activities helped release tension, while 68% of people felt being in the water made them feel happier in themselves.”

“For adults living with conditions such as dementia, swimming is a great way to improve memory, focus and concentration. A recent study showed that being immersed in water boosts the blood flow to the brain. This increases the supply of oxygen, glucose and nutrients which would suggest a positive impact on brain health.

Blue is abundant throughout the natural world – it’s associated with water, the colour of the vast ocean and the endless sky. The human body is made of about 70% water – no wonder, then, that many people feel drawn towards water and that being near the sea has a soothing influence on the mind”

Read more on the benefits of swimming

 Shirley Pool Timetable

Learn more about Adults Learn to Swim Now

Click here to Book a Free trail lesson for an Adult

Click here to book a free trail lesson for a child

Click here to book a free trial lesson for a toddler

Click here to book a free trial lesson for a baby

Bag carriers on poolside As each age group races, they need a helper to carry their towels, drinks bottles and t shirts to the end of the pool. Can we have some parent volunteers, please? It is much more interesting to be on the poolside – you get a good close up view of the action and get to chat to the kids. Just present yourself on poolside to Luke and he will direct you. Bring a large carrier bag as well! If you don’t have siblings to take care of, please volunteer to be a lane marshal. All you have to do is check you have the correct child in your lane. If your child is nervous or overwhelmed, come on poolside with them and stay until they are happy. It is going to be very hot in the gallery. Dress lightly and bring water/refreshments. Swimmers should have a small (non-fizzy) plastic drinks bottle with them. There will be medals for the fastest three swimmers in each event. These will be presented after each stroke is completed. For example, the presentations for the medal winners of the backstroke will take place after event 18. There is a small rostrum to the right of the pool and you should be able to take pictures from that end of the gallery if you wish. Once the children have completed their races they can leave, they don’t have to wait until the end of the evening. Just check they haven’t won a place medal before you whisk them away. There will be a table near the pool side exit with a souvenir cup, sweets and a medal for everyone that attended

Click here for Programme of events

Car Parking Vouchers are still available from our reception desk for parking at The Quays for £2 each. (Cash only)If you choose to pay for parking on the evening please note that their parking meters re-set at 6pm so no matter how much you put in the meter before 6pm, it then re-sets and you will need to pay more into the meter from 6pm

Timings Please bear in mind there will be a lot of traffic on the roads so give yourself plenty of time to get there. The car park may be full of Christmas shoppers so be prepared to use one of the multi storey car parks. Try and arrive by 5:30pm for the first race just after 6pm.

Lockers The lockers in The Quays changing rooms are secured with padlocks, please bring along a padlock if you wish to use one of their lockers, alternatively, you can purchase a padlock at the venue for £5.

Enjoy the evening Luke

Swimming helping to save health system £357 million a year

A team of veteran runners and swimmers from Shirley Pool retained the trophy for the 2019 River Itchen Biathlon, the third year in a row.