With the recent warm weather and hopefully a warm summer to come as kids break up from school Moray Councillor Tim Eagle (Buckie Ward) has raised concerns over the long list of children waiting for beginners swimming lessons to commence again as lesson lists continue to be closed across Moray.
Commenting Cllr Tim Eagle said; “COVID has had an effect on many things but with the recent hot weather I have been particularly concerned about the fact we now have a huge backlog of young children who were either in the middle of beginners lessons or have not yet started to learn to swim. I am told these lists which have been closed to avoid numbers swelling already have several hundred names.
With a large coastal stretch in Moray it is vital our children have the opportunity to learn to swim and I am deeply worried about the continued delay to this and how Moray Council plans to catch up. It really is vital in my mind that the Scottish Government consider very carefully how we can allow our leisure centres to safely recommence swimming lessons. Whilst there are some key points in the recovery process coming up we really do need to consider how we ensure we can safely delivery vital services like this.
I know the leisure team at the council share my concerns. They have done what they can by providing lessons for children 8 and over who could safely be in the pool but I fear even when lessons do restart that we face a huge backlog with beginners in particular.
I will be pushing strongly for the maximum support for our leisure staff so we can get on top of current lists and ensure they are re-opened again and I have asked Moray Council to ensure that we work with our local pool staff to provide as many opportunities as possible so we can catch up on lessons.
In the meantime I hope everyone will take advantage of the range of family fun sessions and open swimming lessons during the summer holidays across Moray’s pools.
