Everyday Swim Where are we now?

1. SUFFOLK Everyday SwimWhere are we now? Helen Graupp-Fisher / Corinna Hudson / Darryl Wilson

2. Session Outline • Give a brief overview of what the project set out to achieve. • Highlight the number of different projects that have been undertaken. • Show case four projects, highlighting what the monitoring and evaluation has picked up. • Future direction for the project. • Concluding remarks and questions.

3. Background • The focus for Everyday Swim, Suffolk, falls under three main themes: • Young people aged 5 - 19 • 45+ and • Rural access issues. • Interventions will target: • barriers to swimming • increase participation in the defined groups • develop a sustainable swimming strategy. • The strategy for achieving these goals are: • engage the community to help identify barriers • develop programmes that enable access for those groups • monitor and evaluate what works and what doesn't work

4. See Additional Sheet

5. Where the projects have been taking place 6 4 8 5 7 4 9

6. Open Days - Background • Purpose: to understand whether the concept would encourage non swimmers or infrequent swimmers aged 45+ to take part in swimming. • Each pilot Open Day aimed to raise awareness and gather information…but also regarded as interventions in their own right. • Incentives to attend included lunch, opportunity to chat to manager, tour of the facilities and a prize of one year's free swimming for one person at each Open Day. • Each pilot Open Day used a different marketing strategy to identify which was best for targeting the 45+ group. Outreach work was considered much more effective for this intervention than newspaper article and promoting via (e.g.) the library.

7. Open Days - Headline Results • In total 35 people attended the first round of Open Days. • 27 were female, 8 were male • All were over 45 • 27 / 35 (77%) respondents participated in the 'aquatone' activity. • 15 / 35 (43%) had not participated in any form of swimming in the past year. However, only 3 of the people interviewed had never swum before. • Can be argued that the Open Days had a market penetration effect by appealing to people that had swum before. With limited market development i.e. attracting new swimmers to the pool.

8. Swim Diaries - Background • Inspired by a glut of requests for a case study of an adult who recently learned to swim. • Aim: to gather a set of case studies that are particular to adult non-swimmers in Suffolk, providing experiential data of use to Pool Operators, Everyday Swim coordinators and other stakeholders. • It was aimed at adults 45+ male and female (only female took part). • The incentive was a 75% reduction in the cost of a swim course. • In return participants kept a diary of their experience. • The swim diaries have been very effective at raising awareness, because people seem naturally drawn to them.

9. Swim Diaries - Headline Findings Most participants had an awful experiences as a child and thought they would never get in a pool again. Despite EXTREMELY high anxiety levels most had very good reasons for wanting to learn to swim. • Once they are in the pool many participants feel more at ease than they expected to • A good relationship and trust in the instructor makes all the difference • Many participants enjoyed the social aspect • The week in between lessons is enough time to build up anxiety again. • Most people experienced a backwards step along the way, but by week four many have increased confidence and are starting to see real progress • The impact on confidence is significant • Most participants who finished the course, signed up for more lessons straight away or continued to swim recreationally • Outside bodies are very interested in the Swim Diaries, it’s a useful marketing tool.

10. £10 Swims - Background • Aimed at any adult's who can't swim (1 in 5) and those who would not go into the pool without support. • Marketing: Suffolk wide participation. • Pool providers involvement. Initially non profit making • Participants: Finally deciding to learn. Counteracting the excuses including cost. • Courses; length, timings, location, teachers • Exit routes. 241s.

11. £10 Swims - Headline Results • In total 185 questionnaire have been completed from across Suffolk. • Marketing - the majority of people heard about the initiative through their local pool (121 / 185) 65%. • Impact - 143 / 185 (77%) respondents could not swim 25 meters or more unaided. Could be argued the project had market development effects. • Why - respondents were also asked why they wanted to learn to swim with 104 / 185 (56%) stating that thy wanted to be able to swim on a regular occasion i.e. once a week. • Gender - 51 males and 134 females. • Age - 108 / 185 (58%) respondents were 45+

12. Family Carers - Background • Who are the family carers? 90,000 in Suffolk. • Group cohesion, motivation and support • Buy in, market segmentation shows motivated to action by an ‘expert’ giving first hand advise. • Partner support including administration • Key points – times, location, teacher, programme. • Financial arrangements and exit routes.

13. Family Carers - Headline Results • In total 55 questionnaire have been completed from across Suffolk. • Impact - 20 / 55 (36%) respondents could not swim 25 meters or more unaided. On a smaller scale it still could be argued the project had market development effects. • In addition, of the 35 respondents that could swim 15 had not done so in the last year, a further 15 had only swum once in the last year with only 5 respondents going in the last four weeks. • 90 % of respondents stated they would swim more frequently if there was a pre designated group for support. • Gender - 11 males and 44 females. • Age - 47 / 55 (86%) respondents were 45+

14. Future Direction • Follow up interviews will be conducted with people who have participated in the £10 swims initiative and the family carers initiative. • Suffolk specific : dissemination of learning via Suffolk Everyday Swim conference to eastern region. • Continuation as a centre for good practice would include: • Pool providers meetings, key to continuing support; • Expansion of successful projects countywide and community wide into self-supporting initiatives. E.g. Group swimming. • Continue to trial new projects that haven’t got off the ground yet, particularly when initiated by local swimming community, such as a teacher keen to set up teen learn to swim. • Linking underused pools to teachers, swim schools and the community. • Finally, to complete any additional reports around Monitoring and Evaluation

15. Any Questions?