Going for a swim always feels like a bit of a luxury.

Firstly, it’s expensive to even get in.

Secondly, the kit and caboodle needed for a swim also comes with a bit of a price tag. Although people can pick up a swimming costume for a fiver, goggles tend to be a few bob.

Then of course there’s the rigmarole of the post-swim routine.

The showers, the hair washes, the squelching about trying not to put your socks on wet feet.

Then there’s the drive home.

For many a trip to the pool is an hour-long round trip as the vast majority of Norfolk’s public pools are in Norwich or its outlying towns.

So it also feels like a luxury because you need enough time in your day to be able to contend with that.

With all of the above it’s no wonder that an estimated one in three adults in the UK don’t know how to swim.

According to Swim England 14.2m adults in the UK couldn’t swim in 2019.

With many facilities shut for the past few years it perhaps wouldn’t be a leap to suggest that figure – be it adults or kids – has risen.

Personally, swimming is probably my favourite way to exercise.

It’s calm, it’s not something I have time for every day and I always leave pleasantly tired without feeling like my knees are going to give way.

Being able to swim isn’t just about enjoying it though, it’s also a really critical skill to have.

I suspect there’s also a stigma around not being able to swim but with the cost and how difficult it is to get to a public pool, is it really a surprise that so many people don’t learn?

We can’t keep assuming everyone had the same experiences at school or growing up, Norfolk needs to support those who want to learn and reduce some barriers to getting in the water.