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Earlier this year, I met with Fife Sports and Leisure Trust to discuss their social prescribing work and was pleased to see the services being offered to the community. The Trust has 14 venues across Fife, with 4 in North East Fife itself. This includes 9 swimming pools, 3 of which in North East Fife.
A constituent was in touch with me to raise concerns about membership prices for pensioners, which prompted me to meet with the Trust to better understand their financial circumstances. Willie Rennie, my MSP colleague for North East Fife, has also done a lot of work in relation to opening hours at the centres, originally impacted by having to reduce staff. Despite that, I’m really pleased to see all the new initiatives and efforts to be as accessible and inclusive as possible.
I was particularly impressed by their swimming initiatives which include ‘Quid-a-Kid’, which is funded by Fife Council and allows children to swim for just £1 per session during the holidays. Last year, 20,670 children participated which led to almost £2 million in social value. The free swimming lessons for 100 children each year is also a fantastic programme, supported by Fife Council and Active Schools, which allows those who need it most to be able to access essential swimming skills, while promoting inclusivity and equal opportunities. I’d also like to celebrate the fact that Fife Sports and Leisure Trust was named the Scottish Water Learn to Swim Provider of the Year in 2023. The Trust’s research found that regular participation in swimming improves physical and mental wellbeing which in turn reduces the need for GP visits – this has generated over £82,000 in savings on medical costs.
Another great initiative is the Community Wellness programme which in the last year alone had over 36,000 attendances to specialist classes across Fife. The programme ensures that people across Fife have access to specialist programmes and resources to help live a healthier life. This is a really great initiative to help the community come together, have a social space and improve their physical health.
Other new additions include Pickleball which takes the number of different sports provided up to 9, which is a great amount of variety. I hope that the Trusts’ work will continue, and I look forward to working with them in the future to ensure there are no further reductions to services.
You can find more information about all the great programmes and initiatives below:
Fife Sports and Leisure Trust is Seriously Social About the Community - Fife Sports and Leisure Trust (fifeleisure.org.uk)