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WeSwim’s new clubs help adults with disabilities to swim across London by partnering with local pools and a dedicated volunteer support system.
As we mark International Day of Persons with Disabilities today, it’s critical to remember that respecting human dignity is not a slogan. It’s something people feel or don’t based on whether the spaces around them are safe, accessible and welcoming. This year’s theme, “fostering disability-inclusive societies for advancing social progress,” sits at the heart of WeSwim’s vision to create access and opportunity for people with disabilities.
At this London-based charity, dignity takes the shape of warm water, steady hands, intentional design and communities built around freedom and inclusion rather than limitation. The organization offers volunteer-led swim programming by partnering with recreation clubs across London, a city where 1 in 5 adults have a disability. In 2025, nearly 500 adults with disabilities were given the chance to swim through their program.
“When people are welcomed, understood and given the same chance to enjoy the water, it transforms what’s possible,” says Natasha Fleming, Director of WeSwim.
Supported by the 2024 Ignite365 Awards of the Olympism365 Innovation Hub, a collaboration between the IOC, Beyond Sport and Women Win, WeSwim expanded from five to seven sites across London this past year. That growth did more than create capacity — it opened doors for people who had been waiting years for the chance to move, connect and belong.
The Olympism365 Innovation Hub is helping to support a diverse community of innovators that are advancing new ideas and technologies to maximize sport’s impact on sustainable development. WeSwim was recognized for its work to increase swimming opportunities for people with disabilities in Great Britain, offering them a chance to stay active and to build community connections.
Nora: Access After a Four-Year Wait
For Nora, joining WeSwim wasn’t a question of interest or motivation — it was distance. For four years, she sat on the organization’s waitlist unable to attend because none of the existing locations were safely reachable for her. Her multiple sclerosis diagnosis meant her radius had to be small, as travel was too unpredictable and physically taxing.
Everything changed when Ignite365 funding made it possible for WeSwim to expand programming to a new location, the Canada Water Leisure Centre. For the first time, this community resource was within her reach. After years of wanting to swim, she finally stepped — and was supported through dedicated volunteers — into the water for the first time this past September.
Milos: Support to Regain His Identity
In mid-2024, Milos arrived at the Crouch End club after his physio — whose clinic sits next door — recommended WeSwim to relieve chronic back pain and help him regain mobility.
A former children’s cricket coach and regular swimmer, Milos’ life changed dramatically after being diagnosed with Functional Neurological Disorder (FND) in 2021. He became largely housebound, unsure of what his body could still do. He remembers his first WeSwim session vividly.
Nervous and unsteady, he entered the water with the support of volunteer Ian. His legs twitched uncontrollably; they felt, as he described, like “dead weights.” Ian encouraged him to start with pool noodles and simple arm movements — small steps to rebuild trust in his own body.
What happened next was six months of slow, determined transformation.
“Within a few sessions, the volunteers suggested putting my legs together and trying a butterfly-style kick. We realized that when we put it together with my arms, it was a much better technique. Soon I was swimming with my head under water and without a noodle. After three months, I was swimming a whole length!”
Today, swimming is not just an exercise for Milos. It stands for an identity that has been regained.
“WeSwim has helped get me out of a dark place,” he says, “and given me a new lease for life.” And in words that capture the freedom only water can offer: “On land I’m a cripple, but in the water I’m a mermaid.”
Niveda: Freedom Through Movement
Ten years ago, Niveda stopped swimming after spine surgery — something she once loved doing with her mom. Living with Osteogenesis Imperfecta (brittle bone disease), she needs support both getting into the pool and while in the water, making most exercise spaces difficult or inaccessible.
When her best friend Beth encouraged her to try swimming again, she searched for disability-inclusive programs and found WeSwim. In October 2024, they arrived at the Vauxhall club with nervous optimism.
“I remember Izzy and the other volunteers being so welcoming,” Niveda says. “They showed Beth and I around and helped me use the hoist.”
With that foundation of care, Niveda’s confidence returned quickly. Weeks later, she was experimenting with new techniques, swimming independently with a noodle and exploring the deep end. She now attends on her own, supported by volunteers she trusts.
“Even though it had been a long time since I last swam, being in the water gave me the belief that I could still do it. My next goal is to swim a full length without any float.”
But for Niveda, the impact goes beyond simple movement.
“The water gives me freedom — I can move in ways I can’t outside of it because of my bones. The people I’ve met at WeSwim understand me. We laugh, we joke and we support each other. It’s become such a positive part of my life.”
Access → Transformation → Freedom
Taken together, these stories trace a simple but profound arc.
Access allows people to enter.
Support allows them to grow.
Freedom allows them to flourish.
WeSwim has cultivated an environment in which this freedom can truly take shape. When sport is built intentionally for people with disabilities— with trained volunteers, accessible equipment, thoughtful locations and a culture of welcome — it becomes more than a place to exercise. It becomes a place to feel powerful, safe and free.
To support or volunteer with WeSwim, please visit their website.
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