Free swimming on the way

Thousands of pensioners and schoolchildren across the Wyre Forest will be offered free swimming sessions to help improve their lifestyle.

Wyre Forest District Council has dived in at the deep end to take up Government grants available to pay for lessons for the over-60s and under-16s all year round.

Of the estimated 98,000 people in the district, as many as 26,000 pensioners and 16,000 teens could benefit from the sessions which will run from next year until March 2011.

But the council has warned that once the grants run out there may not be enough money to keep the scheme going.

Young people across the district are already offered free swimming during school holidays at a number of sports centres.

But this will now be extended to all year at Wyre Forest Glades Leisure Centre in Kidderminster and at Stourport Sports Centre, for example.

DC Leisure, which manages the centres, has also agreed to operate the schemes and to meet any shortfall in grant aid to ensure no costs fall on the local authority or council tax payers.

Members of the council's cabinet last night approved the take-up of the two-year grants and said they were "delighted."

But council leader John Campion said: "Before we dive in at the deep end we have no further money to keep this afloat and are not committing council tax payers' money.

"We are taking this money in the short-term but cannot guarantee it will be continued beyond the two-year period."

The grant will see £34,916 paid each year for the next two years to fund free swim sessions for pensioners, and further money will be paid for free swimming for under-16s.

The exact amount will be determined by how many authorities apply for funds from a £25m cash pot.