The city's free swimming scheme is being extended into 2025 to support children and young people aged 18 and under to lead healthy and active lifestyles.
Free swimming provision for younger residents has been funded in the city since 2009 – the council is one of only a handful in the country that continues to offer this.
Just over 26,000 children and young people are registered on the current scheme, with an average of 3,000 members actively using it each quarter.
The proportion of children swimming once a week is higher in Brighton & Hove (32.5%) than nationally (25.8% in England) and regionally (26.4% across Sussex), according to recent data from Sport England Active Lives.
Free swimming is available for everyone aged 18 and under, who live in the city or attend school here, at pools operated by Freedom Leisure and at Saltdean Lido.
Children and young people can swim for free at:
Councillor Alan Robins, Cabinet Member for Sports & Recreation, who made the announcement at the council’s Budget meeting on Thursday, said: “We're very pleased to announce that our council-owned pools and Saltdean Lido will keep supporting thousands of children and young people across the city to swim for free for another year.
“Swimming 25 metres is such an important skill, not just in terms of staying healthy and active, but also for safety, especially in our seaside city. I hope that parents will make the most of this opportunity and encourage their children to dive in and enjoy the benefits of swimming.”
Last year, the scheme also supported targeted activities for groups in Brighton & Hove who experience greater barriers to swimming. These included fun pool familiarisation sessions with swim instructor support for 162 young people provided by Freedom Leisure.
The scheme is one of a range of initiatives that are part of the city’s Let’s Get Moving Strategy, which aims to make Brighton & Hove a city where everyone has the opportunity, encouragement and environment to move more, live well and be healthy.
Find more information on the Free Swimming Scheme, terms and conditions and instructions on how to register on the Freedom Leisure website.
The seasonal scheme at Saltdean Lido will be launched soon, for the start of the season (May 2025). Information will be published on the Saltdean Lido website once available.
