“Swimming is one of the key activities proposed in ‘Be Active, Be Healthy’ – a new government strategy launched on 11 February 2009 that aims to get the country’s ‘couch potatoes’ off their sofas.

More than 27 million adults in England are not getting enough exercise and 14 million don’t complete 30 minutes a week. The new plan puts physical activity at the heart of communities and at the centre of local authorities’ efforts to tackle obesity.

Swimming has been outlined as a key activity because it remains the number one participation sport with close to 12m people swimming regularly.

A new ‘Learn to Swim’ programme for adults will also be a key part of the programme and delivered as part of the Government’s ‘Free Swimming’ scheme with the asa and Sport England.”

(Via Swimming key part of Government’s physical activity plans / News / Home – ASA South West: .)

Ah now we get it, the reason why sport and physical activity is so low on the totem pole is that our masters think it is a diversion measure for crims and the rest of us aren’t interested. So to get sport funded we have to get banged-up?

Gerry Sutcliffe (Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Department for Culture, Media & Sport)

“I heartily agree, and I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for raising this issue. He will know that one of my previous roles was in the Home Office, dealing with young offenders. The busiest place in a young offender institution and, indeed, a prison is the gym, and we must try to channel that activity into sport. I believe that there is a great role for sport to play in helping support offenders and in getting them away from offending.”

His colleague Chris Bryant said:

“Paris has more 50 m swimming pools than England and Wales put together. That is partly because it is very expensive for local authorities to build and maintain swimming pools. Will the Government consider building more 50 m pools and making sure that funding comes from central Government, rather than local government?”

(Chris Bryant forgets to mention that he was part of Hackney Council that went on to deny Hackney and London residents a 50m pool when the 25metre, £50million Clissold Leisure Centre was being designed. Ed)

(Via Sport (Girls): 28 Jan 2008: House of Commons debates (TheyWorkForYou.com): .)

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David Chaytor (Bury North, Labour) Link to this ¦ Hansard source

“Should schools not be assessed on achievements in running, swimming and cycling in exactly the same way as they are assessed on achievements at level 4 in key stage 2, or the gaining of five A-C grades at GCSE?”

(Via Obesity: 23 Jan 2008: House of Commons debates (TheyWorkForYou.com): .)

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This contribution in Westminster follows up on Ms Hoey’s Daily Telegraph piece [LINK].

“The Secretary of State will know that all the research shows that good quality sports facilities and having sport in schools raises standards. Why, then, given the welcome building schools for the future programme, is a school such as Stockwell Park in the most deprived part of Lambeth, which currently has a good 25 m swimming pool, to be totally rebuilt minus its swimming pool? Surely that does not show that we mean what we say when we talk about joined-up thinking, bringing together and tackling obesity in our inner-city areas.”

(Via Kate Hoey’s Recent Appearances (TheyWorkForYou.com) Educational Standards ¦ Oral Answers to Questions – Children, Schools and Families ¦ Commons debates: .)

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Recently the Government announced that 800,000 people had come to Britain to live and work since 1997 and the public laughed. Now we read that all is well in the school gym and on the playing fields.

“Schools across UK have reached their activity targets a year early, according to a government report.

The 2006-07 School Sport Survey found that 86 per cent of pupils now participate in at least two hours of PE and school sport per week. The figure is just above the 85 per cent target set by government for schools to reach in 2008.”

(Via Leisure Opportunities: Schools hit activity targets: .)

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“Weight-concious lawmakers called on British authorities Thursday to replace Parliament’s shooting gallery with a swimming pool, saying it would help them keep in shape.

“Do you agree that there are too many fat members of Parliament?” lawmaker Richard Bacon asked in a House of Commons debate. “Speaking as one of them, may I say how much I welcome reports about proposals to (replace) the shooting range with a swimming pool.”

(Via The Associated Press: Overweight Lawmakers Want Swimming Pool: .)

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So we walk and cycle to swimming pools and the street-lighting runs out 50 metres from the pool or is the same cheap, murky-orange, low-sodium stuff you get on the motorway rather than white light. With fingers crossed one locks the bike to one of only 4 steel racks or to some railings. Both are located in a dark corner to the side of the doors where the CCTV cameras don’t point, they are pointed straight at the carpark. Young men in hooded tops on £1200 bikes with the brakes stripped off are already staring at the bike racks knowing you will be gone for at least an hour and the receptionist tells you “no you have to leave it there”. Staff wheel their own bikes along the poolside to the plant room while you swim.

Later the police tell you to report the theft online to get your crime number without queuing at the station, and, ‘yes they do go from there all the time’ or even, “you can try Brick Lane on Sunday morning”.

“A Government-commissioned report on obesity this week makes clear that physical activity is fundamental to halting rising obesity, and points to a need to radically shift the design of town centres in favour of walking and cycling. Two generations of planners have designed the UK’s towns and cities around motorised transport, encouraging people into sedentary, car-dependant lifestyles. The report highlighted how encouraging people onto their bikes was an essential part of any strategy to tackle obesity – and that such measures would also help meet climate change targets.”

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(Via CTC – the UK’s national cyclists organisation : .)

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“Delegates at next month’s inaugural Everyday Swim Conference in London will be the first in the country to view an interim report for Parliament.

The report, which will be presented to MPs at a special reception at the House of Commons in November to be hosted by Andy Reed MP, highlights some of the key learning from Everyday Swim and will be shared with all delegates at the conference.

Launched in July 2006 by the Amateur Swimming Association (ASA), Everyday Swim is a pioneering project which challenges current swimming provision and aims to produce best practice guidance based on robust monitoring and evaluation and real-life case studies.

Underway in eight areas across the country, Everyday Swim aims to break down the barriers to swimming to get more people into the pool for fun, fitness and as a part of a healthy lifestyle.” [LINK TO 'EVERYDAY SWIM' EVENTS] – [BOOKING FORM]

(Via Latest News Report to MPs unveiled at National Conference: .)

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“Gordon Brown has announced a £100 million campaign to give every child the chance of five hours of sport every week.

The PM made the announcement today while visiting the West London Academy, a school with an excellent reputation for sport, with Culture, Media and Sport Secretary James Purnell, Children, Schools and Families Secretary Ed Balls, and Olympic champion Dame Kelly Holmes.”

(Via Five hours of sport per week for every child: .)

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“James Purnell, who has been appointed the new Culture Secretary, is a former adviser to Tony Blair who has also worked as a senior manager for the BBC.

The 37-year-old former pensions minister was elected to Parliament in 2001 for Stalybridge and Hyde, Greater Manchester, after a career that started as a personal researcher to Mr Blair.”

(Via Blair Aide: James Purnell – Independent Online Edition > UK Politics: .)

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