By Eve Livingston | Photo courtesy of Govanhill Baths Archive and Heritage

Like lots of friends who also grew up in Glasgow, some of my favourite childhood memories are of splashing around in a swimming pool. On special occasions, it was the Time Capsule in Coatbridge, with its famous wave pool and flumes. But most of my memories are of the shiny new Gorbals Leisure Centre, which opened to much excitement in 2000, when I was almost eight years old.

That was 26 years ago now, and while a number of Glasgow’s pools have been upgraded and refurbished since then, no new council pools have been created. The year after the Gorbals Leisure Centre opened, the council closed Govanhill Baths, which remains shuttered 25 years later. 

So what does this mean for the Southside’s diverse communities? Who has access to a safe, local and affordable place to swim – and who doesn’t?

Where’s your nearest swimming pool?

While there are three council swimming pools in the Southside (four if you include the Gorbals just south of the river), they are clustered around the south and south-western edges of the area, in Bellahouston, Pollok and Castlemilk – leaving some people in areas like Govanhill a bus journey or drive away from their nearest swim. This might have been less of an issue in 2000, but rising transport costs since then mean it can now be a considerable investment to get a whole family to a swimming pool on a regular basis. 

In Glasgow more widely, contrary to popular belief, it’s not always the case that more deprived communities live further away from swimming pools. In fact, a 2008 study found that public swimming facilities in the city were often more accessible in deprived communities than wealthier ones, because of historic investment. More affluent areas were instead more likely to be served by private gyms and clubs. 

But proximity isn’t the only barrier to swimming in 21st century Glasgow. 

The cost of swimming

Data from Sport Scotland shows that the average cost of a swimming session in 2000 was £1.98 for an adult and £1.12 for a child. Today in Glasgow, the price is £5.50 and £2.75, respectively. 

The increase is even greater when it comes to swimming lessons, which cost around £2.26 for a child in 2000, but today will set parents back about £8 per lesson. For a family of four, then, it might cost almost £20 for one swimming trip, before you’ve even factored in transport costs, equipment and swimwear, or a snack afterwards. 

Swim inequality

Scottish Swimming estimates that 40 percent of children in Scotland leave primary education unable to swim. And other data suggests the effects aren’t felt equally: figures released in January by Integratis Consulting showed that just 16 percent of children in community swimming lessons across Scotland were from the most deprived areas. Commenting on the findings, Aquatics Partnership Manager Erin Cummins said school swimming could help close the attainment gap. 

Swimming isn’t only a leisure activity. Scotland has one of the highest drowning rates of any high-income European country, and campaigners argue that unequal access to lessons leaves children from poorer communities at greater risk around water.

This summer, in an attempt to address the issue, the Scottish Government will roll out its National Primary School Swimming Framework, which will offer all primary school children in Scotland the chance to learn to swim. It’s part of a package of measures trying to get people more active, inspired by the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games. 

While the data on economic deprivation is stark, there is less Scotland and Glasgow-specific evidence about how other types of inequality interact with swimming. But research from across the UK has found specific barriers affecting ethnic minority communities, including concerns about modesty, the need for women-only swimming sessions and worries about racism or discomfort in leisure settings.

In fact, the Black Swimming Association found in 2024, that participation in swimming amongst Black and Asian adults in England had fallen since the pandemic, with 97 percent of Black adults and 96 percent of Asian adults (excluding Chinese people) not participating in regular swimming. 

In a neighbourhood like Govanhill, one of Scotland’s most culturally diverse with a large South Asian population –  and also one of its most deprived, it’s worth paying particular attention to these barriers. 

Who gets to swim?

In the absence of local, public and multicultural facilities like Govanhill Baths, it’s clear the communities of Govanhill and the wider Southside don’t have equal access to swimming – whether through proximity, price or for societal or cultural reasons. New Scottish Government initiatives are welcome, but, campaigners say they don’t yet go far enough. 

The good news is that the Scottish public is incredibly supportive of improving access to swimming. A 2024 opinion poll found that 93 percent of the population agreed all children should learn to swim, and a separate survey by Scottish Swimming found 98 percent of primary school headteachers supported school swimming. 

Locally, there is huge support for the reopening of Govanhill Baths, which has now sat closed for 25 years. Yet the story of swimming in Glasgow is about more than one building. It is about whether access to swimming remains a public good, or becomes something increasingly shaped by income, geography and circumstance.