MP urges Stocksbridge to get swimming to fundraise for accessible changing room at Leisure Centre

Marie Tidball MP, the Member of Parliament for Penistone and Stocksbridge, is encouraging keen swimmers across Stocksbridge and the Upper Don to undertake a sponsored swim, to raise the final funding for a fully accessible changing room at Stocksbridge Community Leisure Centre.

In November last year, Marie swam 7km – the distance between Penistone and Stocksbridge, two of the principal towns in Marie’s constituency – to raise over £8,000 towards converting a room at Stocksbridge Community Leisure Centre into a fully accessible changing room near to the poolside. Through her efforts, she significantly exceeded her £7k target.

Now, Marie and Stocksbridge Community Leisure Centre are launching ‘Sponsored Swimclusion’ – a new sponsored swim scheme, where people from the Stocksbridge area and beyond will be encouraged to do their own sponsored swim to raise money towards increasing accessibility at Stocksbridge Community Leisure Centre.

Participants are being encouraged to swim 2026 metres – one and quarter miles, or 81 lengths of the pool – as part of the scheme. The lengths can be swum in one go or split over the course of a few weeks.

The scheme will launch on Monday 13th April and run until the end of May. Marie is reaching out to local schools in the Stocksbridge, Deepcar and surrounding areas to encourage pupils to get involved. People at the swim clubs based at the Leisure Centre will also be encouraged to take part.

There are multiple ways to get involved. Participants can set up an online fundraiser by clicking the link, scrolling down and pressing the blue ‘Fundraise for this Cause’ button: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/stocksbridge-swimclusion.

Alternatively, participants can collect a paper form from reception at Stocksbridge Community Leisure Centre.

__Marie Tidball MP said: __

“Stocksbridge Leisure Centre is a special place to me. I learnt to swim at the baths, in the Leisure Centre, overlooking our Stocksbridge valley as a child, so it’s really special that I’m able to support the work of the Community Leisure Centre in this way.

“Whether you’re young or old, novice or professional, disabled or non-disabled, I want everyone to be able to use the swimming pool at the Leisure Centre and find passion in sport.

“I’m so excited to see how much money we can raise in the Stocksbridge community to achieve the funding for a fully accessible poolside changing room!”

Graham Silverwood, Chair at Stocksbridge Community Leisure Centre, said:

“Our existing disabled changing facilities are old, and the space is very small making changing difficult. Our intention is to extend the room making it much larger and easier to use, install a hoist system and provide pool side access.

“We are sure that everyone who joins our sponsored swim will beat eager as we are to help update our dated facilities and add to the funds already raised by Marie in her amazing swim a few months ago.”