Penrith Swimming Club
United Kingdom · UK Parliament · 8 September 2026
That this House celebrates the 145-year history of Penrith Swimming Club and its role in delivering affordable, quality, volunteer-led learn-to-swim provision for resident of Cumbria; notes the vital role played by the swim club in fundraising for the training pool at Penrith Leisure Centre; notes with dismay the attempts of Better, operated by Greenwich Leisure Limited, to stop the swim club from accessing the publicly owned facilities at the centre, thereby threatening to end the club's ability to teach young children Swim England's learn -to-swim programme up to level 7; further acknowledges local concerns that restricting the swim club's access could result in learners moving to operator-run sessions, with potential advantages for GLL and implications for the quality of provision; further notes that Penrith Swimming Club, as a competitive sports club, provides a pathway for young people who progress from learn-to swim into sport; and views these measures as risking undermining the development of competitive swimming in the community; and therefore calls on Westmoreland and Furness Council to consider all contractual options and halt any discussion of future contract with GLL until it has provided a written undertaking to Penrith Swim Club that it will withdraw this plan and guarantee continued access for the club.