Research shows that spending time by our canals and rivers can help to improve our mood and boost our levels of physical activity. But some of us are less inclined to seek out the health and wellbeing benefits to be found by water, missing out on many of the exciting, enriching activities on offer across our network. Black women, in particular, are widely underrepresented in taking part in the activities on the water at the Canal & River Trust, and in Nottingham, community wellbeing coordinator, Carol Burrell, wanted to do something to redress the balance.
“Our canals and rivers are great places to relax, unwind, get active and meet new people,” says Carol, “But how do people enjoy those benefits if they don’t feel comfortable by water? There are women in our community that are so fearful that they won’t come down to the waterways at all, so there’s a whole group of people missing out; so I thought, let’s try and do something about it.”
With funding from Sport England, Carol and the team devised a twelve-month initiative to help women from Nottingham’s African Caribbean community face their fears and reap the benefits of being by water. The pilot scheme, dubbed ‘Swim Sista Swim’, aims to gradually build up the women’s confidence, so they feel safer by water and spend more time by the city’s canals and rivers.
Twenty-five women signed up for the scheme, which kicked off in April with ten weekly sessions at a local leisure centre. Across the ten weeks, attendees were taught the fundamentals of swimming, along with workshops on water safety. The team also discussed other potential barriers, such as historically not having swim caps that would fit their hair so we were able to give out free swimming caps specifically designed to fit African Caribbean hair, courtesy of Soul Cap, to all those taking part.
“There are women in the group who have held onto this fear of water for 30 or 40 years,” says Carol, “believing that they can’t swim because that’s what they’ve been told all their lives. Week in week out, I’ve seen the confidence just grow and grow, the women have become a really tight-knit group, and for a lot of them, the experience has been life-changing.”
So far, ‘Swim Sista Swim’ has been a resounding success, helping participants confront their insecurities and dispel any misgivings or misconceptions. When many of the women joined the group, they considered themselves ‘non-swimmers’; now, they can swim, they have a greater understanding of water safety, and they’ve become much more comfortable in the pool.
The initial swimming sessions finished in early July, and in recent weeks, the women have moved onto the canal to try their hand at canoeing. It’s a huge step forward for the group, many of whom were afraid to ever set foot on the towpath.
“Giving them the experience of learning to swim in a pool and talking to them about water safety has given them the push they needed to come down and have a go at the activities we deliver,” says Carol. “Many of us would never have got onto the water at all, but the scheme has changed the narrative. The women have learnt to have fun in a pool and safely on and around water, and it’s had such a positive effect on their wellbeing. It’s been a great stepping stone to get more people to access our blue corridors and take advantage of everything they have to offer.”
