New swimming pool backed by Becky Adlington coming soon

Double Olympic gold medallist Becky Adlington is behind plans to build a new swimming pool in Droylsden.

The swimming sensation from Beijing 2008, alongside fellow Olympian Steve Parry run ‘Swim!’, which operates a number of children’s pools across the country. An empty retail unit at the Greenside Shopping Centre in Droylsden will be the newest Swim! site.

More than £1m is being spent on the refurbishment of the former Bright House store. Currently under construction, people can expect an 18m child-friendly pool, changing facilities, reception area and an air-conditioned glassed viewing gallery for parents to relax in.

The organisation specialises in teaching children how to swim rather than competitive swimming, a common misconception given the hugely successful careers of both Becky and Steve. The pair founded Swim! after seeing the shortage in quality swim lesson provision across UK towns.

“It’s just been really good to find a Greater Manchester venue,” Becky said. “We have been on the search for so many years.

“The sites we need go so quickly because Manchester is so popular. We have waited to get anyway in GM then this came up.

“The provision for swimming, considering how much the population has grown, is really poor. We need to be catering for children learning to swim.

“The population is growing massively but not everything is keeping up with that. Pools are closing, not opening.”

A lack of provision for swimming means that more and more children are leaving primary school without learning how to swim, Becky explained. She pointed out how swimming gives children confidence, physical activity and a life skill. 

The smaller pool size means the classes on offer for children are smaller in size, meaning quicker swimming progression. There are a number of programmes on offer, including baby swimming, children’s classes and one-on-one lessons.

The ethos of the brand is to get children confident in the water and for them to have fun whilst learning.

Becky added: “We want kids to leave and say this is the best thing they’ve done all week.”

It is expected that the new Droylsden site will be open by the end of June, with construction work currently underway. Droylsden will mark the
company’s 14th purpose-built UK venue and its fifth in the north west, joining sites in Oldham, Widnes, Warrington, and Liverpool.

The new venue is projected to create up to 50 jobs, including management, operational staff, and swimming instructors.