Closing swimming pools means closing a source of community mental health

OpinionHealth and WellbeingHealth psychology

Oct 18

According to the UK’s Pool Water Treatment Advisory Group, 65 pools had closed, either temporarily or permanently, in the UK in the three years up to March 2022. The closures are for various reasons, including increased energy costs, staff shortages, and lack of chlorine availability.

Some of the pools have closed for good, others closed over the winter, some are apparently closed for refurbishment though with no fixed reopening date, and still others have become only accessible for private hire or for swimming clubs.

“these closures are an “absolute health and welfare disaster”.

Although the number of closures represents only around 5% - so far - of the pools in the UK, each pool serves are large number of people, so even a single closure can have a huge impact on a community.

The not-for-profit organisation ukactive, who promote commercial physical fitness businesses in the UK, have said these closures are an “absolute health and welfare disaster”. And the problem appears to be getting worse, with increasing numbers of local councils closing swimming pools due to the slowing economy.

“some research suggests there are mental health and wellbeing benefits of swimming”.

Although little research has been done on the mental health and wellbeing benefits of swimming, some research suggests there are mental health and wellbeing benefits of swimming, both in indoor pools and in open water, especially research on the benefits for people with musculoskeletal disorders and people recovering from cancer. Of course many communities don’t have access to the outdoor swimming sources, some of which might not be safe, especially in poor weather conditions. For this reason, the local indoor pool is a important source for many.

This may be an especially important as a source of mental wellbeing for those who prefer to cope with stress themselves rather than see a counsellor or psychotherapist. There are many reasons why this would be so, including cost, availability (long waiting lists), language issues, or simply preferring talking to family, friends, pastors etc. Although it is probably true that anyone will benefit by talking about their problems with someone they can trust, and in some cases it is essential that people seek professional help rather than deal with issues themselves, it is also becoming accepted that in many cases men prefer to deal with stress by fixing the problem that is causing the stress rather than talk about their feelings.

There are also reasons why swimming is preferable for many people to other sorts of physical activity, such as going to the gym, or jogging outdoors etc. For example, swimming has a relatively low impact on the body, so can be enjoyed by older people, and those with physical injuries or health conditions (such as osteoarthritis or cystic fibrosis) or pregnancy, who otherwise would be unable to do more demanding exercises such weight training.

It unfortunately seems that an increasing number of people are going to find that in the coming months they are going to miss out on their regular swim, an important source of mental health and wellbeing. If swimming is what you love to do, unfortunately there aren’t many similar alternatives, which is why some community members are petitioning their local government council to prevent the closure of their local pool. I hope it works out for them.

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