Inspire 2022 project helping people from all backgrounds learn to swim

Inspire 2022 aims to help diverse and disadvantaged communities learn to swim as part of a Commonwealth Games legacy project.

Swim England is one of 21 national governing bodies to receive a share of £6.5 million from Sport England’s package of investment to create long-lasting national impact following the success of Birmingham 2022.

The £500,000 funding will help deliver Swim England’s Inspire 2022 project plan and use innovative and accessible opportunities to help people from all kinds of backgrounds in the West Midlands take part in swimming.

This will be achieved by working with a range of partners in Birmingham and the Black Country to tackle issues of water safety and help both adults and children learn to swim.

The programme has four key areas:

• Children and young people
• Community
• Workforce
• Diving and aquatics development

Each area has specific projects designed to increase the opportunity for participation in aquatics.

A number of these have already begun with Top Up School Swimming Lessons and a Fit, Fed and Swimming Breakfast Club, which was launched in autumn 2022. 

Both initiatives are focused on teaching children across the region the key water safety messages that could save their life in an aquatic emergency. 

Thanks go to Swim England’s partners for their work and commitment to help deliver these projects and the wider 2022 Aquatics Legacy within the West Midlands.