Booking opens at 9am on Monday 20 July 2026.
Free Under 16s swimming sessions begin on Monday 27 July 2026.
Sessions can be booked via:
- Online via the Active Nottingham website
- Through the Active Nottingham app
- In person at any Active Nottingham leisure centre
Please book the ticket that matches the child's age. This is required to maintain safe pool supervision ratios. Tickets booked for the wrong age group may be cancelled and rebooked onto the correct ticket.
Yes. An Active Nottingham account is required before you can book a free swimming session. Get started by creating one here.
❓ Need help creating an account?
📖 View our step-by-step guide: Create an Active Nottingham account guide
Creating an account is free and only takes a few minutes.
The account must be created in the child's name, as bookings must be made using the young person's account.
👉 Create an Active Nottingham account
❓ Need help creating an account?
📖 View our step-by-step guide: Create an Active Nottingham account guide
Try resetting your password
Use the Forgotten Password Link and enter your email address. The system will send you instructions to create a new password.
- Check your junk/spam folder if the email doesn't appear.
- Some customers may need to register their account before they can access online/app services.
Still having trouble?
- Visit any Active Nottingham leisure centre and out team will help
- Or contact us using your online contact form
Please ensure the account you are trying to access is for your child, not the parent/guardian account.
If you are having issues creating an account, we recommend using a desktop browser to create an account. Some users report intermittent issues when trying to sign up.
If you're still struggling, we recommend visiting your local leisure centre who can get you signed up.
Yes. To access the Free Under 16 Swimming programme, the Active Nottingham account must be created in the child's name and bookings must be made using that account.
Yes. Children under the age of 8 must be accompanied in the water by a supervising adult aged 16 or over.
The supervising adult can be added during the booking process.
Yes. An accompany adult ticket is available for parents or carers who wish to accompany a child aged 8 or over during a Free Swimming session. This ticket can be selected during the booking process.
Each eligible child can book one free swimming session per day.
Bookings can be made up to seven days in advance, subject to availability.
Walk-ins are welcome subject to availability and safe pool capacities. However, booking in advance is recommended as places are limited.
To help as many children and young people as possible access the programme, we will hold your booked space for 15 minutes after the session start time.
If you have not arrived within 15 minutes, your space will be released.
Please cancel your booking as soon as possible so the space can be made available to another swimmer.
A free-swimming programme for Nottingham City resident children under 16, offering 22,000 free swimming spaces during 49 school holiday days between July 2026 and February 2027.
Swimming is a vital life skill and an important way for children to stay active and healthy. Cost can be a barrier for some families, and this programme helps reduce inequalities by making swimming more accessible during school holidays.
The programme is open to Nottingham City residents who are school age children under 16.
Across all six Active Nottingham Leisure Centres: Clifton, Djanogly, Harvey Hadden, Ken Martin, Southglade, and Victoria Leisure Centre.
Sessions will run Monday to Friday during school holidays, excluding bank holidays, between July 2026 and February 2027.
School holidays do not align with financial years. The programme has therefore been designed around holiday periods rather than financial years, resulting in 49 delivery days within this phase.
There will be nine public sessions available across the city each weekday during school holidays. The nine sessions will be split across the six Active Nottingham leisure centres.
Additional swimming teaching support will be available to help children who are non-swimmers or lack confidence in the water.
Children under eight must be accompanied by a responsible adult or person aged 16 or over. The accompanying adult can attend at no cost, in line with the Leisure Centre’s Pool Admission Policy.
The programme is focused on school holidays, when demand is highest and families may face increased childcare and activity costs. This approach also ensures sessions can be safely managed within existing leisure centre capacity.
The total investment is £197,000.
Attendance and demand will be monitored throughout delivery to help assess take-up and inform future decisions.
This programme is part of Nottingham City Council’s wider investment in services that support children, young people and communities across the city. In March 2026, the Council agreed a balanced budget that included funding to support additional activity aligned to the Council Plan objectives. This was made possible through careful financial planning and a prudent approach to future funding, allowing the Council to reinvest in frontline services where there is the greatest benefit. The Under-16s Free Swimming programme is backed by £197,000 of investment and will provide up to 22,000 free swimming opportunities during school holidays. By investing in free access to swimming, the Council aims to help reduce inequalities, support healthy lifestyles and give more children the chance to develop confidence and vital life skills in the water.