A new aquatics partnership between Swim England and leisure operator Everyone Active will look to ‘create a nation of swimmers’.

The three-year partnership will focus on creating a strategic approach to encourage more people to engage in swimming and to tackle physical inactivity.

The collaboration will take place in 12-monthly stages and the partners have now unveiled their year-one ambition – to achieve 10 million swims at Everyone Active pools by the end of 2019.

As part of the #10MillionSwims project, a campaign will be launched to focus on the ‘occasional swimmers’, highlighting the benefits that swimming regularly could bring to them.

Swim England and Everyone Active will also work together to carry out research on swimming behaviours, utilising insight from Everyone Active’s 120 pools and the local communities in which it operates.

They will also work together to identify and challenge the common misconceptions around swimming, which they believe can act as a barrier to participation.

“There is still a reluctance from many people to get into the pool," said Jacqui Tillman, head of swimming at Everyone Active.

"This may be because they aren’t fully aware of the many health and social benefits swimming offers, or perhaps there is a misunderstanding about the skills you need to enjoy the water.

"Through our partnership with Swim England, we are aiming to tackle this and revive the nation’s love of swimming."

Lesley Hill, head of strategic partnerships at Swim England, added: “Over the past few years there has been an increase in the variety of activities available in the pool. However, we are still seeing areas of the country where swimming is not regularly enjoyed.

“We want everyone to think of swimming as a fun, healthy activity to enjoy with friends and family. By working with Everyone Active we will be able to engage directly with local swimmers and encourage people to enjoy the water more regularly.”