Olympic Silver medallist Siobhan-marie O’Connor and 100m Freestyle champion Grant Turner are encouraging Liverpool residents to take the plunge and be part of a special swimming event on Saturday (24 September).
Siobhan-marie, the 200m Individual Medley star, and Grant who is a Commonwealth Silver Medalist and was part of Team GB in 2012, are heading to Wavertree Sports Park this weekend as part of the Speedo ‘Dive In’ campaign which aims to help adults swim their way to fitness by improving their front crawl.
Free 60 minute swim-fit sessions will be on offer in the Aquatics Centre where Siobhan-marie will be joined by swim coaches to give out tips and advice on how to improve people’s swimming techniques.
The swimming-drive has been launched in response to new research from Speedo, which revealed that only one in three* (36%) swimmers surveyed in the North West could swim more than four lengths (100m) of front crawl proficiently, even though 65%* of British adults recognised swimming as the best for a full body workout.
The report also found that one in three* (34%) adults are still not confident in the water. In addition, one in five* (20%) people that can swim, said that learning to be a better swimmer would encourage them to swim more frequently.
Anyone, over the age of 18, who wants to have a free 60minute session, can sign up before Saturday via www.speedo.co.uk/dive-in where they can choose a time slot to apply for. There will be a small number of places available on the day, but they are limited and will be awarded on first come, first served basis.
Assistant Mayor and Cabinet Member for Culture, Tourism and Events, Councillor Wendy Simon, said: “This is an unmissable opportunity for adults of all abilities to get the very best advice from some swimming elite, which will help them improve their stroke and give them the confidence boost they may need.
“To be coached by an Olympian is a once in a lifetime opportunity and I hope as many people as possible sign-up and be part of this fun and informative day.”
The 60-minute Dive In sessions have been designed with the help of leading athletes and ex-professional swimmers James Goddard, Ian Hulme and Harry Needs.
Rio Silver medalist and Team Speedo athlete, James Guy said, “As with any workout, the right technique is essential in helping maximise your session. You don’t have to be an elite swimmer to have good technique and even the smallest changes can really make a massive difference to the enjoyment and results you get from swimming.”
James Hickman, Global Sports Marketing Manager at Speedo International said, “We are hugely passionate about swimming and in this big year for the sport we want to effect a real change in the nation’s swimming habits and get more people swimming for fitness.
“By providing 10,000 adults with free sessions we hope to inspire people to Dive In and really get the most from their swimming – learning new techniques with some of the UK’s leading athletes, to maximise their fitness potential in the pool.”
The one off event is supported by the City’s Fit for Me campaign which is being run by Liverpool City Council and NHS Liverpool Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG). Fit for Me is looking to get everyone in the city more active.
Dr Maurice Smith, a GP at Mather Avenue surgery in Allerton and Healthy Liverpool’s ‘Living Well’ clinical lead said, “It’s great to see that people in Liverpool will be able to benefit by getting top tips and tuition from swimming champions and an Olympian no less.
“You don’t have to be an Olympian to get involved in Fit for Me though. It’s about everyone being active, whatever they choose to do and at whatever level they are at. The benefits to getting active are often more than people think – you can benefit from better sleep, having more energy and feeling more positive.
“Swimming is a great way to get active and you can even get a free swim to get you started at any of Liverpool’s Lifestyles Fitness Centres by signing up to Fit for Me at www.fitforme.info.”
Find out which Lifestyles centres have pools by visiting www.liverpool.gov.uk/lifestyles and why not check out the latest Fit for Me Free Swim offer.
* Source OnePoll
