Improve your physical and mental health at Birtley Community Pool
Birtley Community Pool reopened in September as a community run charity, after it was closed for over a year by Gateshead Council. Over £400,000 was raised by a combination of local support, two Crowdfunding campaigns and other local donations, and funding from several large organisations including the Community Ownership Fund, the National Lottery and The Royal Foundation.
The Royal Foundation is Prince William’s charity and he visited the pool on October 3rd 2024 along with several Olympic swimmers to celebrate the reopening of the pool.
The trustees and staff who run the pool have created a warm and welcoming, family friendly place which offers a range of activities for all ages and abilities. The pools are kept warmer than average: 29°C for the main and improver pools, and 31°C for the small pool, which is real tonic during those long, cold, winter months. The new LED lighting has created a lighter, brighter environment in the pool area for both swimmers and spectators.
How does swimming help your health and wellbeing?
Swimming is a vital life skill which improves cardio-vascular health, burns lots of calories, and supports mental wellbeing. It’s especially beneficial for older adults, pregnant women, those with disabilities, and people recovering from injuries.
Swimming is also an opportunity to socialise and meet new people during a family fun session, or when participating in an aquafit session, or just when swimming with others in a public session
Yvonne Probert, chair of Birtley Community Pool Trustees, said “the benefits of swimming are significant and wide ranging, and we want to encourage more of the community to experience those benefits by participating in activities at our pool”
Activities available at Birtley Community Pool
Whether you’re looking just to swim a few lengths, improve your fitness and swimming technique, or simply have fun with your family, Birtley Community Pool has something for everyone and is open seven days a week
Fast, medium and slow lanes are available throughout the week for those who swim for fitness, whilst the rest of the main pool and the small pool are available for families or those who like to swim at a more leisurely pace.
Five Aquafit sessions and an Aqua-Intro session provide a different way to exercise in the water, which are delivered by three qualified instructors. We introduced a new aquafit session on Saturday mornings starting February 8th.
On Friday evenings (7.15pm to 8.15pm), Saturdays (2pm to 3pm and 3.15pm to 4.15pm) and Sundays (1pm to 2pm and 2.15pm to 3.15pm) there are family fun sessions including a giant inflatable obstacle course and a water slide, which are very popular but don’t need to be booked in advance. Pool parties are available on Saturdays and Sundays, once the public family fun sessions have finished. Once a month, we have a floating sound bath session, when participants enjoy 60 minutes of soothing relaxation.
Swimming lessons are provided daily by Swim City, an award-winning swim school, including lessons for mothers and babies, pre-school children and adults, as well as children of school age.
Prices for the different activities are competitive and affordable, and a monthly membership option is available for those who want to swim regularly at the pool.
Public swimming starts from 6.15am every weekday morning and from 7am at weekends. Lane swimming is available all day until 6pm on Mondays and Tuesdays, 7pm on Wednesdays, 9.30pm on Thursdays and 4pm on Fridays. Late evening swimming is also available on Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays from 8pm to 9.30pm.
Vending machines in our reception area provide a wide range of hot drinks, cold snacks and chilled water. We also sell a range of swimwear and swimming equipment. We have free Wi-Fi throughout the building and a large spectator area overlooking the pools, with tables and chairs and a soft play area for younger children to use. Details about the activities, prices and the pool timetable are all available on the website.
Matthew Grant, treasurer of Birtley Community Pool Trustees, said “Our regular customers are enjoying these activities and giving us great feedback. If you haven’t yet visited us, please come to the pool, give one of our activities a try and support your local community asset at the same time”.