LiveWire receives Swim England Water Wellbeing accreditation

Swim England’s Water Wellbeing accreditation has been awarded to LiveWire’s Bewsey and Dallam Community Hub and Great Sankey Neighbourhood Hub in recognition of their efforts to support users with long-term medical issues.

The programme enables those with ongoing medical issues to participate in physical activity in a secure and encouraging setting.

LiveWire now has a one-of-a-kind facility in Warrington, the hydrotherapy pool at Bewsey and Dallam Community Hub, which is the ideal setting for helping people manage their health concerns while also focusing on their overall fitness.

Helping to support people managing long-term health conditions like arthritis, dementia and joint pain

With warmer water temperatures, the pool provides a comfortable environment for exercising, especially for those managing conditions such as arthritis, joint pain, Parkinson’s disease, dementia, muscular and skeletal injuries, or recovering from several surgeries, such as joint replacements.

Both sites are among the first 20 sites across England to be awarded the accreditation and will provide the platform with the opportunity to build more partnerships with health professionals and organisations to support people with long-term health conditions, leading to a wider health offer at both sites.

Catriona Welch, Activities and Development Lead at LiveWire, said: “We are extremely proud that both Bewsey and Dallam Community Hub and Great Sankey Neighbourhood Hub have become two of the first leisure sites to be awarded Swim England’s Water Wellbeing Accreditation. It highlights the hard work that staff have put in to ensure that our sites provide a welcoming, safe and supportive environment for all residents of Warrington to access and maintain their health and wellbeing.”

Good Boost is one of the programmes launched at Bewsey and Dallam with the support of funding from Swim England. Good Boost is an aquatic exercise programme that uses artificial intelligence to create tailored programmes for participants, taking their individual health concerns and needs into account.

The programme is specifically designed to support people with musculoskeletal conditions and conditions that impact mobility and the neurological system.

Participants can be referred by health professionals for the Good Boost programme or express their interest directly to LiveWire.

Participants are supported by one of LiveWire’s Wellbeing Activators during an eight-week programme in the hydrotherapy pool, and each person has access to a tablet that’ll guide them through their personalised programme. Following completion of the eight-week programme, drop-in sessions will be available to participants so they can continue to access their Good Boost programme and manage their health effectively.

Mark Chew, Operations Director at LiveWire, said:  “The opening of Bewsey and Dallam has provided us with a great opportunity to create a water wellbeing programme that specifically supports people living with a range of long-term health conditions, thanks to the unique properties the hydrotherapy pool offers.”

SEND sessions to support children needing additional support

Other sessions available across the hubs include SEND Learn to Swim (lessons for children who need additional support whilst learning to swim), Accessible Swims, Swim-ability sessions (for families supporting children with additional needs), Aqua Relax, and Quiet Swims.

LiveWire plans to roll out Inclusive Customer Service Training for all staff at both sites in 2023 to further enhance the knowledge of the workforce on how to support people with long-term conditions when accessing their facilities.

There are also plans to enhance the health-related physical activity offer with the return of Dementia Friendly activities at Great Sankey and an Adult Learn to Swim Programme across the LiveWire sites, along with the continuation of the Good Boost Aquatic Activity Programme which has proved to be a success after its launch in September 2022.

For further information, please contact cwelch@livewirewarrington.org or one of the teams at Bewsey and Dallam Community Hub or Great Sankey Neighbourhood Hub.