Leisure Centre introduces dementia-friendly swimming sessions

West Craven Sports Centre in Barnoldswick, Lancashire, has introduced dementia-friendly Swimming sessions.

The joint initiative, between Pendle Leisure Trust and Dementia Positive Pendle, aims to engage with people living with dementia – and to offer them opportunities to continue to do things they enjoy.

Specially-designed clear and simple signage has been introduced to help visitors find their way around the facility easily – and into the pool for the weekly sessions.

“We know people living with dementia start to disengage with the outside world and doing something they have always enjoyed becomes a lot harder," said Julia O’Neill from Dementia Positive Pendle.

“Through partnership like these, we want to make our community inclusive and unite people who are living with dementia, helping and encouraging them to be active in a non-threatening way.

“We do not want to isolate these people, we want to offer some therapeutic respite and West Craven Sports Centre is the perfect environment, so when they get in the water they remember how they used to enjoy swimming.”