4 hours ago
1
As I push through the doors, the smell of chlorine hits me. Instantly, I feel sick, and I remember why I don't go swimming. I'm getting ready for my first swimming lesson in over 10 years, trying to convince myself it won't be so bad.
Before I know it, I'm in the water.
I glance around the pool; I'm surrounded by other black women learning to swim, all at different levels. Some are confidently swimming lengths; others, like me, are learning how to feel at home in the water.
I'm learning to breathe properly, dunk my head under and let the water carry me, rather than fight against it. There are so many things to remember.
At the age of 27, I'm still unable to swim - and I'm far from alone.
Swimming ability is not spread evenly across the population; figures compiled by Swim England, swimming's governing body, based on a survey of 4,500 people suggest poorer people, for example, are much less likely to be able to swim, as well as Muslims, people of South Asian descent and children known to social care.
As a black woman, it's the figures for the black community that always jump out to me. Swim England's figures suggest that 67% of black women and 44% of black men in England cannot swim 25 metres unaided - far higher than the national average, and far higher than the numbers for white people (17% of white women and 12% of white men cannot swim 25 metres). Behind those figures, published in 2022, are very different stories.
