Thursday December 11th 2025
Karen Anderson (Area Manager at West Lothian Leisure Xcite Whitburn), Lorraine Pollock (Sports Development Manager at West Lothian Leisure), Vicky
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Stuart Sommerville
Primary pupils in West Lothian are missing out on swim assessments because they lack basic swimming kit.
A new initiative between West Lothian Leisure and swimwear manufacturer Zoggs aims to fix that.
West Lothian Leisure (Xcite), West Lothian’s community leisure trust, has launched an initiative with swimwear brand Zoggs to ensure no child misses out on learning to swim.
As part of the trust’s Learn to Swim initiative, every Primary 5 pupil in West Lothian is invited to attend a swimming assessment delivered by Xcite’s coaching team.
Children who fall below a set ability threshold are then offered a free eight-week block of lessons, supporting them to build essential water safety and swimming skills.
This initiative has been running successfully at West Lothian Leisure for more than eight years and is delivered across all Xcite venues and some high school pools.
Through conversations with schools, the Xcite team identified a recurring challenge: some pupils are unable to attend assessments simply because they do not own a towel, swimsuit, goggles or a suitable bag.
To break down this barrier and to ensure every child can take part, West Lothian Leisure has partnered with Zoggs through its promotional fund, which this year Xcite has chosen to invest into community support.
This fund receives a percentage of every Zoggs product sold in Xcite venues, which includes Xcite Bathgate, Xcite Whitburn and Xcite Linlithgow, allowing customers to directly support local children.
The West Lothian Leisure Zoggs community support fund currently sits at approximately £3,000, with the potential to grow significantly as more products are sold by the charity.
Zoggs is also supplying items at cost price, enabling the charity to provide far more kits than would otherwise be possible. Each pack includes a swimsuit or shorts, towel, goggles and a bag, and the fund is already expected to be able to support over 150 children.
Schools will begin identifying eligible pupils from February onwards, with kit distribution starting soon after. Although details are still being finalised, eligibility will focus on low-income families, including those receiving free school meals or clothing grants. At present, the programme will be delivered exclusively via schools.
Every year, West Lothian Leisure assesses over 1,500 Primary 5 pupils, ensuring swimming is accessible and inclusive from an early age.
The charity will work with schools ahead of the Learn to Swim assessments to sensitively identify pupils who may otherwise be unable to take part.
The charity will then provide eligible children with a free Learn to Swim kit, ensuring they can attend lessons confidently and without embarrassment.
Andrew Heron, Head of Finance at West Lothian Leisure, said: “Learning to swim is a lifesaving skill, and no child should miss out because of a lack of kit.
“This partnership with Zoggs means we can remove a real and immediate barrier for families in West Lothian. Our customers will play a meaningful part in this partnership.
“Every Zoggs purchase made at West Lothian Leisure will directly contribute to helping a local child stay safe in and around water.”
Vicky Guthrie, senior key account manager at Zoggs UK, said: “We’ve worked with West Lothian Leisure for more than 15 years, continually exploring new ways to support their mission of making swimming accessible for all.
“This initiative is especially powerful because it’s fuelled directly by customers, every Zoggs product purchased in an Xcite venue helps a local child take part in swimming lessons with confidence and without worry. We’re proud to stand alongside West Lothian Leisure in breaking down barriers and giving every child the chance to learn an essential life skill.”
West Lothian Leisure’s Learn to Swim programme is part of the Learn to Swim National Framework, a partnership between Scottish Swimming and Scottish Water, reaching over 82,000 children across 167 swimming pools in Scotland.
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