Sensory Equipment/Lighting System Installation
New Barnet Leisure Centre hosted a FREE swim session on Monday 31st July 2023 to celebrate the launch of the new Sensory Equipment/Lightning system in the learner pool. This was an opportunity for children and families to experience the new equipment/lighting multi-sensory system, and was ideal for children and young people with additional needs who require a calm environment for swimming.
Our learner pool is regularly used by families and young children for swim lessons and ‘swim for all’ sessions. The addition of the new sensory equipment/lighting system will ensure that children living with complex disabilities can enjoy regular swimming activities too.
For children and young people who have severe physical disabilities, a pool is one of the few places where they feel free of supporting equipment and devices, and floating in warm water is enjoyable and liberating. The lighting system will aim to enhance the experience and remove the usual clinical feel of a wet area or pool. The troubles of the outside world are completely absent, giving children and young people the sensation of weightlessness, with attention grabbing moving colours and shapes, along with therapeutic music and sound.
From the essential colour mixing lighting, to dramatic moving images creating various patterns on the walls, floor and pool basin, the addition of the sensory equipment/lighting will only enhance the child’s experience in our swimming pool.
We want these sessions to be a fun and relaxing environment for children and young people to engage in regular physical activity. With each kick or stroke, water resistance helps to build muscle tone and strength. Even more important for children with disabilities, the process of swimming helps with balance, coordination, and the development of motor skills. As children learn to float and then move through the water, they are isolating muscle groups and learning how to coordinate different motions in order to achieve a physical goal. Additionally, for special needs children with movement restrictions, the pool can help improve range of motion. Buoyancy reduces the child’s body weight by 80%, providing an environment for restriction-free (or at least restriction-less) movement.
There are a range of bookings available with the new sensory equipment/lighting system including:
Inclusive sensory swim (Monday’s from 11:30 – 12:30)
Swim for all (Monday – Friday)
Birthday party bookings (email new-barnet@gll.org)
School bookings (email:new-barnet@gll.org)
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