Arc: More praise

: Tuesday, 31 July 2012 09:06

Derbyshire Dales District Council's Arc Leisure Matlock has been praised after taking the plunge with a pilot programme that encourages people to swim more often and for longer.

Manager Paul Blakemore at Arc Leisure Matlock Only four centres in the whole of the UK tested the new Amateur Swimming Association (ASA) Swimfit pilot over the past five weeks.

Now East Midlands regional director of the ASA Roger Glithero, who revealed the new programme will be rolled out nationally in September, has thanked Arc for the part it has played.

He said:

"I wanted to pass on my thanks for all the hard work that the team at Derbyshire Dales District Council have put into the new ASA Swimfit pilot. Arc was chosen because of the 'can do' attitude there and good working relationship between the ASA regional team and the centre.

"This has been rewarded with great results and feedback on the sessions held on Monday and Thursday evenings, with between 15-30 people regularly attending. The lessons learned have helped shape the development of Swimfit, which will be rolled out nationally in September."

The pilot was so good that Arc manager Paul Blakemore is being asked to present to the ASA Get People Swimming team, including Aquatic Officers and Regional Directors from all over the country at Speedo headquarters in Nottingham in September.

One member of the ASA team was Key Accounts Manager and Commonwealth Games gold medalist Sarah Price, who helped launch the Swimfit programme at Arc at the end of June, becoming the latest in a series of top sporting names to visit the District Council's popular £12 million Arc.

Chairman of Derbyshire Dales District Council's Communities Committee, Councillor Mrs Carol Walker said:

"Arc Leisure Matlock is still not yet one year old yet its reputation is reaching far and wide.

"Its astonishing success to date, with well over 300,000 visits, is a credit to the vision of the District Council and the enthusiasm of our enthusiastic leisure team.

"We're delighted the ASA had confidence in Arc to successfully pilot a new programme that fits our ethos of promoting the Dales as one of the one of the healthiest places to live in the region."