The Aqua Pod - Scottish Swimming Podcast · Scottish Swimming

Episode 37: Scottish Swimming Hustings Part 2

·46 min·3 clips

Marie Todd says Scotland 'saved the Commonwealth Games for the world' with 18 months' notice.

1. The Aqua Pod’s "Episode 37: Scottish Swimming Hustings Part 2" continues the "Saving Lives, Changing Lives" hustings with five Scottish political parties. 2. Heather Gere hosts the panel, and Patrick Murphy from South Lanarkshire Leisure frames the first question about adult swimming and "swimming on prescription." 3. The episode asks whether swimming should be treated as social prescribing, and how Scotland can fund pools, access, and facilities over the long term. 4. Marie Todd says she is "very keen on social prescribing" and describes herself as a pharmacist and prescriber of medication. 5. Todd argues that a trusted health professional recommending exercise can change behaviour, but she also says the phrase "social prescribing" feels "slightly troubling." 6. Todd uses her 20 years as a mental health pharmacist to talk about "the killer couch" and the idea that bodies are meant to move. 7. Todd links South Lanarkshire’s nine pools to long-term returns, saying childhood investment can lead to healthy "80 year olds." 8. Todd also cites Glasgow University academics and their book "Social Murder" when discussing austerity and lower life expectancy. 9. Liz Smith says swimming is cross-generational and that family-friendly pools can improve resilience and health. 10. Smith says rural pool closures make access harder and raises transport and private-sector collaboration as part of the answer. 11. Lorna says community consultation matters because communities can propose solutions like the "Trinky Pool" project, which combines a pool, flood defences, a sauna, and renewable energy. 12. Lorna also says community transport, including electric buses, shows the potential of local solutions when people are properly consulted. 13. On prescription-based sport, one panellist says "sport is cheaper than sickness" and warns that one-size-fits-all plans do not work. 14. That speaker gives a personal example from Fife, saying a referral to nutrition services was inaccessible because they do not drive. 15. The same contribution says swimming can be difficult for people with anxiety or body-image concerns, even when the activity itself helps joints and recovery. 16. Lesley Bloomer from Fife Artistic Swimming argues that deep water is necessary for artistic swimming, water polo, and diving. 17. Liz Smith says some new pools have been built with cost-cutting that leaves them without enough deep water, and she points to European examples. 18. Hannah Miley’s question about legacy leads to discussion of school swimming, participation, volunteers, and the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in 2026. 19. The panel’s tone is procedural and advocacy-driven, with Heather Gere moving quickly between questioners and party responses. 20. Listeners who care about Scottish sport policy and local pools will get the most from this episode, while casual listeners looking for a lighter chat may skip it.

As heard by us

A measured hustings that links swimming policy to health, access, and everyday participation.

Part two of The Aqua Pod's Saving Lives, Changing Lives hustings keeps Scottish swimming policy grounded in practical concerns: health, access, and the case for keeping people active.

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Why you'd press play

You want Scottish swimming policy discussed through health, access, and the people it is meant to serve.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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