Published 25 April 2024
More young people than ever took advantage of free swim and gym sessions over Easter in West Dunbartonshire, with numbers doubling on last year.
As part of the Council’s cost of living initiative all school pupils can swim at West Dunbartonshire Leisure facilities and young people between the age of 12 and 18 can access gyms free of charge.
Over the Easter holiday, young people took advantage of the free swim sessions at the Meadow Centre in Dumbarton, the Vale of Leven swimming pool and at Clydebank Leisure Centre with almost 1,800 visits recorded over the holidays.
Visitor numbers show 850 visits to the gym, with a further 54 taking a gym induction to allow them to use the gym equipment independently.
Dumbarton’s Meadow Centre received 1,559 visits with young people attending the centre for 1,182 swims and 356 visits to the gym.
Councillor Michelle McGinty, Chair of the Council’s Cost of Living Working Group, said: “It can be a real struggle for families to find activities that keep their children entertained and don’t cost money during the school holidays. These free swim and gym sessions offered by West Dunbartonshire Leisure Trust are very popular and offer young people fun time to spend with their friends and get some exercise but more importantly it offers unlimited free swim and gym sessions that some families might not be able to afford.”
Councillor David McBride, Partner Director of West Dunbartonshire Leisure Trust, said: “This is a fantastic initiative that is proving very popular with our families and goes a long way to help keep children active during the school holidays. We understand the financial pressures faced by our families and we know this is amplified when schools are off, due to added requirements to keep children entertained I’m delighted to see the huge increase in young people taking up this offer which will also benefit their health and wellbeing.”