A Flemish world first: startup Swimwise presents solutions for the shortage of swimming facilities for schools and local swimmers. And it does so without subsidies or government support.
The number of children who cannot swim is rising alarmingly, and schools are finding it increasingly difficult to find a solution. The waiting lists for private swimming lessons are endless, and the high costs of bus transportation to swimming pools make school swimming unfeasible for many. Swimwise is proud to present its world first: the Swimcube and Swimclad portable swimming pools.
A sustainable solution for swimming instruction
More and more public swimming pools are closing their doors, leaving schools without access to swimming facilities. Rising bus transport costs and restrictions on maximum invoices sometimes force schools to cancel swimming lessons. The consequences are clear: children have fewer opportunities to learn to swim, while drowning remains one of the leading causes of death among young children.
Swimwise is introducing a world first: a flexible and affordable solution combining a large, relocatable swimming pool (Swimclad) and a mobile version for schools (Swimcube).
Swimming after school: lessons and recreation for young and old
The innovative, portable pools not only offer a solution for swimming lessons in schools, but also create new swimming opportunities outside of school hours. Children and adults can use them for swimming lessons or free swimming, while the Swimclad also offers space for aqua sports such as aquabike and aquagym. This makes swimming not only more accessible, but also more versatile for the entire community.
How does it work?
- Swimclad mobile swimming pool: Municipalitiescan work together to deploy and finance this large mobile swimming pool. This allows smaller towns and municipalities to once again offer their residents swimming facilities.
- Swimcube mobile swimming pool trailer: Amobile swimming pool that comes directly to schools and offers children the opportunity to take swimming lessons in a flexible and accessible way, without having to travel long distances.
This flexible approach lowers the threshold for children to learn to swim and ensures that swimming lessons remain affordable and accessible. The after-school swimming lessons for young and old bring the swimming pool closer to the local community again, allowing residents to once more enjoy accessible and affordable swimming opportunities in their own neighborhood.
A smart addition to the swimming pool decree
The swimming pool decree aims to build swimming pools throughout Flanders, something that Swimwise can only applaud. However, despite the limited subsidies that local authorities can obtain for this purpose, building a swimming pool remains too costly and risky for many to undertake. An average sports swimming pool, without all the bells and whistles, easily costs taxpayers €1 million per year over a period of at least 30 years. A subsidy of €150,000 per year is welcome, but even then, the remaining financial burden is often too great and irresponsible. In that case, Swimwise offers a significantly cheaper, sustainable, and quickly deliverable solution. But Swimwise's innovation is also of interest to municipalities and cities with their own swimming pools; numerous municipalities and cities have already made contact because they still have insufficient capacity or because bus transport to the swimming pool remains a major concern. A portable pool, as a supplement to the permanent swimming pool building, can thus be an additional supplement for school swimming or private swimming lessons.
Achieved without government support or subsidies
At present, Swimwise's ambitious project cannot count on government support or subsidies. The entire development and production process was therefore carried out using the company's own resources. The Flemish swimming pool decree only provides subsidies for permanent buildings, but does not take this type of innovation into account. Nevertheless, the project was discussed in the Flemish Government's Sports Committee, where several members of parliament asked the Minister of Sport whether there were any possibilities for support. Unfortunately, the Minister was not sufficiently informed at that time. We naturally hope to welcome both the Minister of Sport and the Minister of Education to one of the many locations where Swimwise will be installing its swimming pools in the near future, so that we can convince them of the enormous added value that portable swimming pools can offer schoolchildren and recreational swimmers.
For more information, visit www.swimwise.be.