Omagh and Enniskillen swimming pools install accessible pool pods

by Gráinne Connolly

New pool pods have been added to the swimming pools at Omagh Leisure Complex and Fermanagh Lakeland, to make access easier for people with restricted mobility. 

The project has been delivered by Disability Sport NI in partnership with Fermanagh and Omagh District Council (FODC) and funded by the Department for Communities through Sport NI as part of the Active Living: No Limits 2016-2021 Action Plan. 

It's hoped the initiative will make swimming more inclusive for people with disabilities and allow them to enter pools in a dignified and straightforward manner.

Chairman of FODC, Councillor Howard Thornton has welcomed the news: 

“One of the key themes of the Fermanagh and Omagh 2030 Community Plan is to ensure the physical, mental and emotional well-being of everyone in the district. 

"Inclusivity is at the heart of that theme. Through working in partnership with Disability Sport NI, the Council has striven to improve access and inclusion to sports facilities and programmes for all people across the district.

"The installation of the pool pods at the swimming pools in both the Fermanagh Lakeland Forum and Omagh Leisure Complex is another way in which the Council is further promoting inclusivity in sport. 

"The pods will enable people with disabilities or mobility issues to access the pools in a dignified and relatively straightforward manner."

Kevin O’Neill from Disability Sport NI, said:

“The facilities that have received the pool pods have shown a great commitment to improving access and providing their staff with disability inclusion training.

"This project is part of the wider District Council Disability Sports Hub Project which recently saw a significant investment into disability sports equipment in every council area.”

The installation of the pool pods is part of a recent investment of over £150,000 in the creation of Disability Sports Hubs at both Fermanagh Lakeland Forum and Omagh Leisure Complex, in partnership with the Department for Communities and Disability Sport NI.