Swimmers at Hathersage outdoor heated swimming pool.

The closure of swimming pools is a travesty

Leisure centres need more support to deal with the energy crisis, writes the Olympic gold medallist Duncan Goodhew

The fact that 29 pools, leisure centres and gyms have closed in the past year due to the energy crisis is heartbreaking. Sean Ingle (Cold swimming pools and youth clubs closing – tale of two sporting Britains shames us all, 27 February) says the closures are a national tragedy and I agree. He is right that exercise hubs are as fundamental to mental and physical health as GP surgeries.

I never dreamed that pools would be closing because we can’t afford to heat them. Swimming is a sport for everyone, and its health benefits are transformative. Leisure centres need more support to deal with the energy crisis.
Duncan Goodhew
President, Swimathon

Topics

Source: Health & wellbeing | The Guardian

You May Also Like

My partner’s unresolved grief is putting a strain on our relationship | Ask Annalisa Barbieri

As a teenager, my partner lost their father to illness. He was…

The one change that worked: ditching ultra-processed foods made me feel healthier and happier

When I got a nasty case of indigestion just before the UK-wide…

It’s painful and expensive – but can platelet-rich plasma therapy really cure baldness?

Name: Baldness cures. Age: Hundreds of years old. Appearance: Suspiciously hirsute. Wait,…

I no longer have any sexual desire – and now my husband is talking about a threesome

I have been married for three years and no longer have any…