Weekly dementia friendly swimming sessions are now available at Cotgrave Leisure Centre to help individuals and carers enjoy exercise in comfortable surroundings.

Individuals, and families and friends who help sufferers can enjoy sessions every Wednesday from 1pm to 3pm.

There is no need to book, just turn up and enjoy the session and to help launch the class, the first six weeks are free of charge for all attendees.

The Dementia Swimming Project is part of Rushcliffe Borough Council’s and Lex Leisure’s wider health strategy with sessions designed to create a safe and friendly swimming environment.

Robert Linthwaite, Lex Leisure’s centre manager at Cotgrave Leisure Centre, said: “Dementia swimming sessions build confidence for the individual and their carer – and in a welcoming environment that has great health benefits.

“It’s all here to make it easy and accessible to enjoy the activity and once people visit us we are confident they will return.

“Anybody with a memory issue can come to the dementia swimming sessions, it has immense benefits for both the carer and the swimmer.”

The classes are led by swimmers and carers with trained staff attending poolside to offer guidance and support to enjoy a gentle exercise and social session in the pool.

Rushcliffe Borough Council’s deputy leader, Debbie Mason, said: “Within Rushcliffe, approximately 1% of our residents are living with dementia.

“As a council, we want to ensure they are supported with wellbeing opportunities wherever we can.

“The benefits of swimming are well publicised both in terms of physical health and emotional wellbeing, but it has also been shown to improve the quality of life of those living with dementia.

“This is why we are partnering with Lex Leisure to offer dementia-friendly swimming at Cotgrave Leisure Centre.”

There are 850,000 people with dementia in the UK, with one in six over the age of 80 now having a form of the condition.

For more information on the Dementia Swimming Project visit www.swimming.org/dementiafriendly, contact Cotgrave Leisure Centre on 0115 989 2916 or email Cotgrave@LexLeisure.org.uk.