11 Sep 2026

One month after Penrith.Town broke the story surrounding proposals affecting Penrith Swimming Club’s Learn to Swim provision, the Club has thanked the local news outlet for journalism which helped ensure its concerns were heard and sparked an extraordinary wave of community support.

On 11 August, Penrith.Town brought the developing situation involving GLL/Better, Westmorland and Furness Council and Penrith Swimming Club into the public domain.

The story followed the Club receiving an email from the General Manager of Penrith Leisure Centre on 1 August stating that, following the summer break, Penrith Swimming Club would no longer be authorised to operate its junior Learn to Swim sessions during its pool hire.

For Penrith Swimming Club, the coverage marked a turning point.

What had initially been discussions taking place behind closed doors became a major community issue, with swimmers, parents, former members, local organisations and residents rallying behind the 145-year-old volunteer-run Club.

In the weeks since, the campaign has gathered thousands of petition signatures, attracted widespread public support and reached local and regional media.

Penrith.Town has continued to follow the story throughout the campaign, including recording the extraordinary meeting of Penrith Town Council, allowing people unable to attend to hear the discussion surrounding the future of the Club for themselves.

Penrith Town Council subsequently backed the continuation of Penrith Swimming Club’s Learn to Swim provision alongside GLL’s programme, supporting a model which protects family choice and the future of the Club.

The campaign has since travelled from Penrith to Westminster.

Penrith and Solway MP Markus Campbell-Savours visited the Club, met swimmers, coaches and volunteers and subsequently tabled an Early Day Motion in the House of Commons, putting the future of Penrith Swimming Club formally on the parliamentary record.

The motion has also begun attracting support from MPs beyond Cumbria, including Jim Shannon MP from Northern Ireland, as the Club calls for further cross-party backing.

A Penrith Swimming Club spokesperson said:

“One month ago, Penrith.Town told our story. We genuinely don’t know where this campaign would be today without them.

“When our Club received the communication on 1 August, we were facing an incredibly uncertain future. Penrith.Town gave our members, volunteers and community a platform and ensured people understood what was happening.

“The response since then has been immense. Thousands of people have signed our petition, Penrith Town Council has publicly supported us, our MP has visited the Club and our campaign has now reached the House of Commons through an Early Day Motion.

“None of that happens unless people first hear your story.

“Good local journalism matters. Penrith.Town didn’t just report one article and move on. They have continued to follow developments, attended and recorded the Town Council meeting and helped keep our community informed.

“Whatever the eventual outcome of this campaign, we want to put on record our sincere thanks to Penrith.Town. Without them, we genuinely believe our voice may never have been heard.”

The campaign followed information concerning the Club entering the public domain which Westmorland and Furness Council later acknowledged included elements based solely on discussions with GLL that should not have been presented in the way they were without further verification.

The Council has since publicly confirmed that no final decision has been made and that coexistence between the two Learn to Swim programmes is one of the options being considered.

Penrith Swimming Club remains clear that it is not calling for GLL’s swimming lessons to stop. Its campaign is about allowing the two programmes to coexist, retaining choice for local families and protecting a pathway which has taken generations of children from their first strokes into competitive swimming, coaching, volunteering and lifelong participation.

One month after the story first broke, the Club says its message remains the same:

Protect the beginning. Protect the pathway. Protect the future.

Read the Early Day Motion:
https://edm.parliament.uk/early-day-motion/66517#tab-supporters

Sign the campaign petition:
https://c.org/wKDYMmLfNd 

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