First introduced 15 years ago, thousands of children and young people aged between 8 and 15 have taken advantage of the free swimming offer.
Funded by the City of Wolverhampton Council, it is available during public sessions at its WV Active Central and WV Active Bilston-Bert Williams leisure centres, and at Wolverhampton Swimming and Fitness Centre.
As there is no charge for under 8s, it means all children and young people aged 15 and under who live in Wolverhampton can swim for free in the city's public pools.
Councillor Jasbir Jaspal, the City of Wolverhampton Council's Cabinet Member for Adults and Wellbeing, said: "Taking part in regular activities is essential for improving people’s health and well-being, whether they are young or old. We are determined to do all we can to help children become more active and the free swimming programme is an important part of this.
“Swimming is a great form of exercise and we hope that, by starting when they are young, people will be encouraged to continue enjoying swimming into adulthood.”
The scheme was launched nationally in 2009 thanks to Government funding. Subsequently, the council has met the cost to enable it to continue in Wolverhampton.
Councillor Chris Burden, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, said "I’m delighted that we are still able to support this hugely valuable scheme which meets one of our priorities, to give our children and young people the best possible start in life.
“I would therefore urge children and young people who don’t already have a free swimming pass to sign up as soon as possible.”
Parents and guardians can sign up for their children to access free swim sessions at the city's leisure centres. Proof of residency will be required. For more information, please visit Free Swimming for 8 - 15 year olds.
Children and young people aged up to 18, or 25 for care leavers or young adults with special educational needs or disabilities (SEND), can also access a wide range of free activities as part of the new Yo! Active programme, which launched last week.
It will see Wolves Foundation deliver up to 40 hours of free activities every week at the council's WV Active leisure centres, community centres and other locations over the next 2 years, and also includes additional hours of free swimming, including family fun, SEND and tots swim sessions, and court bookings at WV Active.
For details of the new Yo! Active programme, and how to book places, please visit Yo! Active.
