After an incredibly competitive season, the London Youth Games Finals Festival took place at the end of last month at GLL's Copper Box Arena in London.

In the weeks leading up to this, young Londoners from right across the capital had met and competed at the city's most iconic sports venues including Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre and Lee Valley VeloPark, the London Aquatics Centre and CBA itself.

In this Olympic and Paralympic year, the LYG Finals Festival celebrated sport, culture and community and marked the conclusion of over fifty qualifying events across more than thirty sports.

London Youth Games Chair, Prof Geoff Thompson MBE FRSA DL QP JM, emphasized the holistic benefits of the Games stating, “The London Youth Games Finals Festival in this Olympic and Paralympic year provided a distinct opportunity for families, friends, coaches, officials, volunteers, and organizations to work together and be part of something special in the lives of young people and communities.

"The Jubilee Trophy is a reflection of a year-round exposure of sport for development and peace. The mental, physical, and emotional health and well-being benefits were evident as the teams went through the final rounds.”

David, Southwark basketball player said, “It means a lot to a lot of young people to compete in an Olympic venue like this. When we were told we were playing at the Copper Box, I was shocked, I was like 'The real Copper Box?!? This is obviously where the London Lions play and it hosted the Olympics back in 2012, so it’s amazing to play where they were.”

Congratulations to all those who took part, and especially the big winners, Bromley, who came away with the coveted Jubilee Trophy, while Wandsworth won the ParaGames Trophy, recognising their outstanding performances across an incredible calendar of sporting events.

To find out more about the London Youth Games and the wider results from the 2024 Finals Festival, click here

New research highlights the importance of children’s swimming lessons as more primary schools reduce mandatory lessons.


• Britons see swimming as more important to learn than cooking, cleaning, DIY, first aid, and learning to ride a bike.

• 1 in 5 state that swimming was the most important thing they learnt in school, with just Maths and English ranking higher.

• 7 in 10 Brits worry for their children’s safety when swimming abroad.

• Over half of Brits say the cost of lessons is the biggest barrier to swimming participation.

New research from leisure operator Better, reveals that the UK population values swimming more than cooking, cleaning and DIY when it comes to essential life skills. This finding comes on the heels of a Sport England and Active Lives report indicating that over a third of primary school teachers provided fewer than 10 swimming lessons per pupil during the academic year 2022-23. Consequently, the proportion of children able to swim 25m by year 7 in 2022/23 has dropped by 6% compared to 2017/18. 

To investigate the state of swimming in the UK, Better surveyed 2,000 respondents to gauge public perceptions and experiences. The research highlights the important role swimming had on Britons’ school experience, as 1 in 5 people found swimming more useful in their adult life than most other subjects like science (17%), computing (15%), and even sex education (8%). 

Parents, in particular, recognise the importance of swimming, especially when planning family holidays that involve young children near water. The Royal Life Saving Society (RLSS) reported 35 children died unnecessarily from accidental drowning in 2023, a huge 46% increase over the previous 5 years. Better’s study found that 71% of parents feared their children might drown abroad. The fear of a child getting lost in a foreign was “very concerning” to 36% of parents, yet a higher percentage (42%) were “very concerned” about the risk of drowning."

In everyday life, parents also believe swimming is among the most important life skills, with 56% asserting swimming as the most important, beating cooking, cleaning, DIY, time management, learning to ride a bike, and even first aid. Only budgeting and time management rank higher. 

Despite the clear importance of swimming, there are still many barriers to getting children to learn how to swim, including socioeconomic factors. Shockingly, the Sport England Active Lives 2020-2022 survey reported that 62.5% of children from low-income families claimed to be able to self-rescue by year 7, compared to 92.2% of children from high-income families, highlighting a significant disparity. This accessibility issue is further highlighted by Better’s research, showing how the availability of public transport (26%), the cost of pool access (58%) and the time it takes to get to the pool (28%) can all prevent children from being able to learn how to swim. 

Better’s survey highlighted the cost of lessons as the biggest barrier to participation in swimming. This is also a result of the significant increase in electricity costs to local pools, causing them to increase costs. In fact, a previous study by Better stated that 1 in 5 Brits were struggling to access their pools due to reduced hours or their pools closing altogether, despite half of Brits stating that swimming improved their mental health.

Andrew Clarke, Better’s Head of Sports and Aquatics, said: “Teaching children to swim not only equips them with the ability to enjoy and participate in various water activities safely but also significantly reduces the risk of drowning, which is a leading cause of accidental death among young children.

"By learning to swim, children gain confidence, improve their physical fitness, and develop a respect for water safety that can prevent tragic accidents. Ensuring that all children have access to swimming lessons is an investment in their safety and well-being, empowering them with a vital skill that can save lives.”

More than 500 visitors took part in a host of sports and leisure activities on Sunday (16th June) as part of London Pride’s inaugural 2024 Out for Sport Festival at the iconic Crystal Palace National Sports Centre.

The event, which was the first of its kind to take place in the capital, was established with the aim of breaking down barriers to sports participation.

Approximately 20 LGBTQ+ inclusive sports clubs, representing a wide range of sporting disciplines and drawn from across London, offered free taster sessions throughout the day. Visitors had the opportunity to try their hand at everything from Rugby and Boxing to Line Dancing, Tennis and Jujitsu.

The focus of the Festival was inclusivity, with activities suitable for anyone regardless of their sporting experience or fitness levels. It is hoped that it will serve to increase LGBTQ+ community involvement in sport by raising awareness and providing support.

Event organiser David Lionetti commented: “We had a fantastic turnout on Sunday, with more than 500 visitors enjoying the opportunity to try a different sports, make new friends and experience the mental and physical benefits that sport and physical activities can offer.

“Crystal Palace National Sports Centre, the home of many national and international sporting championships provided an inspiring backdrop and we’re grateful to Better, the charitable social enterprise that operates the centre, for its support.

“This is the first year of what we hope will become a London institution and we look forward to a bigger and better event in 2025.”

Better’s Rainbow Leisure Centre in Epsom has maintained its ‘Excellent’ status from QUEST – the Quality Scheme for Sport and Leisure.This follows a mystery visit from the organisation in April plus a planned audit in May.

Rainbow’s facilities include two pools – full-size and teaching – a sports hall, 100+ station gym, soft play area, spa and a senior activity room.

The centre has approximately 70 members of staff (full and part-time) and around 3,000 members who are mainly families or adults over the age of 66.

QUEST’s report commented on the centre’s excellent, well-maintained facilities and its extremely warm, friendly and welcoming staff.

Emily Simmons, General Manager, comments: “I am immensely proud of the centre and our team. Achieving QUEST Excellent status is no easy task and staff consistently work hard to maintain the high standards they set themselves.

“QUEST is a fantastic tool for evaluating best practice and customer service levels. It sets the standard for leisure centre management and sports development, taking into account programming, facilities, management policies and procedures, staff training and development, and environmental impact. This award means both customers and staff are getting the highest level of service, care and support.”

Head of Service in the area Steve Hannen adds: “A huge well done! It’s a great achievement for Rainbow to maintain Excellent status. This is not an easy thing to do and the entire centre team should be proud.”

Councillor Clive Woodbridge, Chair of the Community & Wellbeing Committee, Epsom & Ewell Council said: “Rainbow Leisure Centre’s most recent ‘Excellent’ status from QUEST is fantastic news for our residents in Epsom & Ewell. Our vision is that Epsom & Ewell is a borough where everyone in our community can live healthily and focus on wellbeing. Rainbow Leisure Centre is an integral part of that vision, and this is a testament to their great work.”

Great news for GLL’s successful association with the UK’s Professional Netball scene came this week with the announcement that England Netball and Netball Superleague (NSL) stars London Pulse – who are based at Copper Box Arena (CBA) - will be one of eight clubs participating in the relaunched League from 2025.
 
All-conquering London Pulse have called CBA their ‘world class home base’ since 2019, scaling the heights of success in the sport as it has grown in stature across the capital and the UK.  Many players go on to represent England at international level. 
 
The announcement means that the NSL’s games will be played at arena venues up and down the country – including CBA – delighting fans whose numbers have exceeded 3,500 for a single match for the first time this season.
 
Stuart Hutchison, General Manager at CBA said: “This announcement is fantastic news for GLL and London Pulse - together, we have formed a successful partnership over the last few years to bring professional netball to a growing fanbase in world class facilities. 
 
“We’ve also engaged local communities in London with the sport – providing a pathway for future talent.”
 
“We can’t wait to welcome the team and the fans back at Copper Box Arena in the new season – and wish them every success”.
 
Sam Bird, CEO of London Pulse, believes the club - with its playing venue in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park - are in a perfect position to take advantage of this great news. “We are very proud to be a key club in the professional NSL, we recognise this is an amazing opportunity to inspire Londoners to watch and play netball and a responsibility to do all we can to bring success to our sport”.

Oasis Beach Pool, in Bedford, officially reopened on Tuesday 28 May with a celebration for the local community - and a VIP ribbon cutting.

Cllr Tom Wootton, Mayor of Bedford, shared the ceremonial honours with Cllr Sarah Gallagher, Portfolio Holder for Customer Experience - alongside Council CEO Laura Church, GLL CEO Peter Bundey and Oasis Beach Pool General Manager Ricky Whiting.

Councillor Sarah Gallagher, Portfolio Holder for Customer Experience, said: “It was great to formally reopen Oasis today at the special 'Totally Tropical Beach Party', where residents and people involved in the centre officially celebrated the reopening of the Oasis Beach Pool with fun activities, music, food, and, most importantly fun on the flumes and swimming in the waves.

“I’m really impressed by the determination, enthusiasm, and the changes I’ve seen made in such a short amount of time. I hope many residents will visit Oasis Beach Pool and see the changes for themselves.”

The 'Totally Tropical Beach Party' saw the iconic venue transformed with steel pans, limbo dancing and a 'Tiki Bar' serving tasty mocktails. Customers were even offered grass skirts and leis to help get them in the party mood.

630 people attended Tuesday's sessions - filling the venue to capacity. Sessions for the rest of half-term are also filling up with strong demand.

The pool's reopening had been eagerly awaited by local residents - many grandparents and parents taught little ones to swim there since it opened in the 1990’s.

Bedford mum-of-two Charlotte, visiting with her two boys aged 1 and 5 said: "I remember coming here when I was little.

"It's really great for the kids - especially now the wave machine is back up and running."

Gary O'Neill and his daughter Murran, aged 6, live in Flitwick. Gary says, "It's a lot cleaner and warmer than it used to be. We've been travelling round all the local sports centres looking for the best swimming pool and so far, the Oasis is the winner. We'll definitely come again."

Leva, who lives in Riseley, was at Oasis for her daughter Cornelia's twelfth birthday – along with her other daughters Adele, 8, and Sophia, 10.

She comments, "There's a big difference since the Oasis has been renovated. It's cleaner and the paintwork has been refreshed. As a single parent of three children, it's a great help that it only costs £1 per child."

Operators GLL - a charitable social enterprise - run leisure and library services nationally under the 'Better' brand. They have worked alongside the Council – who have invested £500k in essential plant and lighting - to get the building back open and improve the customer experience with a new reception and shop, a party room, additional multi-use spaces, repairs to showers, lockers and a deep clean.

The facility boasts a lazy river, flumes, small pool and leisure pool with wave machine.

General Manager Ricky Whiting said: "We've been delighted at the community's response to the Oasis Bach Pool reopening today - with all sessions full to capacity.

"This just goes to show how eagerly awaited this has been. The smiles on customers' faces today have been great to see.

"We are looking forward to a busy summer season and creating many more happy memories."

Future investment includes the creation of party rooms and there will be new caterers on site.

Kids enjoyed special £1 entry to the 'Aqua Play' session from 12pm - 5pm.