The Government is to launch its Change4Life programme this autumn, spending £75 million on a social marketing campaign. This will encourage people to eat well, move more and live longer. I will save the Govt. some time and announce the headlines for 2009/10 where research will show that this scheme has had "little impact."
Spending money on actually improving the sports facilities that would help people to "move more" is not to their taste: (far better to fritter £75 million on nebulous projects), but it is certainly hard to see this kind of funding being thrown away when it could be used so differently.
eg a new pool for Minehead
a replacement pool for Ilford
restoration money for Broomhill Pool
roof repairs for the Matlock "Lido"
money for diving facilities open to all
funding for the outdoor pools in Beccles and Halesworth in Suffolk
money to re-open St Anne's pool in Fylde
money for Govanhill Baths in Glasgow
money for a new outdoor pool in Daventry bulldozed in January 2007 (pictured)
1 comment:
Well done for starting this blog.
What do you think to having a national campaign for more swimming pool time, with a charter of demands eg x number of pools per head of population; a pool within x miles of each person; access to an open air pool within an x mile radius of each major city etc etc.
The government pays lip service to fitness, while at the same time continually reducing available swimming time with a bums on seats mentality, with no recognition that with swimming less (ie less bodies in the water) within reason generally means more (more chance to actually swim).
We could also emphasise the fact that of all form of exercise, swimming is the only one you can do from cradle to grave and pretty much irrespective of disablity (I have arthritis and pre hip replacement could barely walk the length of my street, but was swimming 7 miles a day).
We could descend on parliament in cosies and goggles.
Nicky
Post a Comment