Olympic Gold Swimmer Duncan Goodhew

Olympic gold medallist Duncan Goodhew is urging all families across the country to get swimming this summer. Not only is swimming a great way to keep fit with the family, it’s also a great way to strengthen the bond between parent and child as an ideal family activity.

Swimming is widely recognised as one of the most physically and psychologically beneficial sports. It’s low impact, so perfect exercise for the elderly, pregnant women and those with mobility or joint problems.  It’s also great for all over body toning, and also can help to relax and improve a person’s mood – and being able to swim could even save our lives. But additionally to all these benefits, a survey by British Gas last year also found that children favoured swimming as their preferred family activity – so what better excuse to get out there and into the water!

To help get families swimming this summer, the UK’s ultimate urban swimming festival – The British Gas Big Dip – will be taking place in London from Monday 27th June.

With two purpose-built connected pools and an adjoining beach as its centre-piece, the festival will be a fabulous day out for all the family, featuring an array of activities, food and music, as well as water-based activities including swimming, aquafit, aquazumba and water polo.

For more information visit www.bigdip.co.uk.

The largest outdoor swim in the South of England, the Great London Swim is held on the spectacular setting of the Royal Victoria Dock, and attracts some of the world’s best elite swimmers.

This years event includes Olympic silver and Commonwealth gold medallist David Davies, and 8-time World Champion Thomas Lurz from Germany as well as UK favourite Duncan Goodhew.

Among the celebrities taking part will be supermodel Jodie Kidd and TV/Radio presenter Vernon Kay, they will take part in the one mile swim in the rejuvenated London Docklands Area.

The one mile challenge equals 64 lengths of a 25m swimming pool and is a fantastic challenge for all swimming abilities. Over 10,000 swimmers took the plunge in 2009, from an 86-year-old granddad to a middle aged mother of three with a fear of deep water.

The British Gas Great Swim Series is the UK’s leading outdoor swimming event and consists of five open water swims in Suffolk, London, Strathclyde, Windermere, and a recently announced new swim in Salford.

The event is free for spectators to go along and cheer on their favourites in the competition, with highlights of the event to be shown on TV.

The training camp is designed to improve the GB teams’ chances in the Championship where they are expected to  face tough competition from the powerhouses of Germany, Russia and Spain.

British selectors have been able to capitalise on the positive results in Beijing and the national selection meet held in Sheffield in March, for this year’s team to compete in Budapest in August. The national squad also have a keen eye on both the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi in October, and the London 2012 Olympics.

Swimming has entered an exciting era in Britain since Rebecca Adlington’s success at the last Olympics. But now with the emergence of several new talents including Jazz Carlin, Rebecca Achieng Ajulu-Bushell, Hannah Miley, Kris Gilchrist, Michael Rock & Robbie Renwick, these young stars are hoping to make their contribution to one of the strongest teams in British history.

Their journey to Budapest and the medal podium began last week at the BEST Centre – Elite Training Facility in Spain, set up by former British Olympic Swimmers James Parrack and Matthew O’Connor.

Here is the full GB team list:

Thomas Allen – Flintshire
Rebecca Adlington – Mansfield
Robert Bale – Lancaster
Rebecca Achieng Ajulu-Bushell – Plymouth
Adam Brown – Cambridge
Jazmin Carlin – Swansea
Simon Burnett – Oxford
Lucy Ellis – Dunfermline, Scotland
David Carry – Aberdeen
Ellen Gand – Bromley
Ross Davenport – Derby
Francesca Halsall – Southport
James Goddard – Stockport
Kate Haywood – Grimsby
Kristopher Gilchrist – Edinburgh
Joanne Jackson – Northallerton
Jemma Lowe – Hartlepool
Antony James – Plymouth
Sasha Matthews – Nottingham
Michael Jamieson – Glasgow
Hannah Miley – Aberdeenshire
Roberto Pavoni – Essex
Elizabeth Simmonds – Hull
Robbie Renwick – Aberdeen
Amy Smith – Kidderminster
Michael Rock – Stockport
Gemma Spofforth – Shoreham-by-Sea
Joseph Roebuck – Loughborough
Jessica Sylvester – Newcastle-under-Lyme
Liam Tancock – Exeter
Stacey Tadd – Bath
Grant Turner – Swindon
Aimee Willmott – Middlesbrough
Richard Webb – Southwold
Katherine Wyld – London

British Olympic Gold Medallist Rebecca Adlington, and Hannah Miley who won both Gold and Bronze medals at last weekend’s European Short Course Championships, will also be competing on home soil.

Hear the excitement building up as the UK swimming stars prepare for the competition which takes place on December 18th and 19th. Rebecca Adlington and Liam Tancock share their views and personal goals ahead of the upcoming event.

Rock and Goddard will be among the E-Stars team made up from the top British, Italian and German swimmers who will take on the full might of the US team that includes multi Olympic gold medal winner Michael Phelps.

Dubbed the Ryder Cup of swimming, the format of the British Gas Duel in the Pool is unique in that as the programme is made up of straight finals with no heats, giving competitors just one chance to perform their best times.