Public Baths and Lidos
Debate between Nicholas Dakin and Andrew PakesWestminster Hall is an alternative Chamber for MPs to hold debates, named after the adjoining Westminster Hall.
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Sir Nicholas Dakin
My hon. Friend’s energy and willingness to work with Crook Community Leisure speaks for itself, but I will certainly take away that question and share it with the Under-Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, my hon. Friend the Member for Barnsley South (Stephanie Peacock). She was meant to respond to the debate, but unfortunately, due to the change in the voting pattern, she needed to get the last train to Cornwall at 7 pm, so she sends her apologies to hon. Members. She is disappointed not to be here, as she was very excited to talk about lidos. She will be keen to read the debate and follow up with hon. Members on any questions that I fail to answer appropriately.
As we heard, it is an exciting time of year for the art deco Peterborough lido, which is a jewel in the crown of Peterborough. I understand that my hon. Friend the Member for Peterborough will be one of the first to make a splash in the newly reopened lido.
Sir Nicholas Dakin
Tomorrow, he will be splashing. He invited me to drop into Peterborough as I pass by on my way home to Scunthorpe, but unfortunately I am not sure that I will be able to do that.
Lidos are not only a vital part of our culture; they offer a great contribution to our health and wellbeing, too. We heard about the restoration of Worthing lido to its former glory. We heard about the value of Brockwell lido, which my hon. Friend the Member for Dulwich and West Norwood (Helen Hayes) talked about at great length and with great passion—I thank her for that. We heard from my hon. Friend the Member for Derbyshire Dales (John Whitby) about Matlock Bath; the lido’s contribution towards the heritage and tourism there is a good example of the contribution of lidos across the country.
Lidos are part of our deep cultural heritage, as my hon. Friend the Member for Peterborough said, and I think that has been demonstrated by the energy of the debate. Certainly, we have the beginnings of a lido network here, and I encourage hon. Members to work with their local lidos to join them up. I think that would help in working with the Department, Sport England and other bodies to ensure that the voice of the lido world has its full impact.
Sport and physical activity, especially activities such as swimming, play a vital role in tackling the health challenges facing our nation by helping to treat and manage a wide variety of health conditions. My hon. Friend spoke with passion about his local lido, and I can understand the appeal of outdoor swimming. He is right that swimming and the public good go together, and lidos are an important part of that.
The Under-Secretary of State experienced some of the benefits of outdoor swimming when she joined Mental Health Swims for a swim in Hampstead ponds a while ago. That reinforced for her the positive impact that swimming, and outdoor swimming in particular, can have on mental health. Last Sunday I attended the annual north Lincolnshire swimarathon at The Pods in Scunthorpe, which is organised by local rotary clubs and raises thousands of pounds for local charities. It is good for the wellbeing of both volunteers and swimmers.
A golden thread that ran through everybody’s speeches was the voluntary effort that is put into running these facilities, whether by campaigners to maintain the facilities or to rejuvenate them. My hon. Friend the Member for Carlisle (Ms Minns) drew attention to Steve Yeates, the secretary of Carlisle Turkish baths. His story is an inspiration for all the other volunteers across the country. We pay tribute to him and, through him, to all those other volunteers who do so much in our world of sport and wellbeing to make the world a better place.
Swim England’s “Value of Swimming” report highlighted that 1.4 million adults in Britain felt that swimming significantly reduced their anxiety or depression, and that swimming saved the NHS and social care system over £357 million annually. Physical activity interventions contribute to an immense saving to the NHS by preventing 900,000 cases of diabetes and 93,000 cases of dementia every year. As the hon. Member for Newton Abbot (Martin Wrigley) said, investing in lidos is an investment in the nation’s health.
The Government are committed to pivoting our health system to focus on prevention, and sport and physical activity are central to that. The biggest health gain comes from supporting those who are inactive, or less active, to move more. We know that swimming is a fantastic activity for the more inactive.