Pool rules poster clarification

Members may be aware that articles relating to the poster "Butlins Swimathon asks swimmers to kindly refrain from" (Diagram 1) have appeared in the national and local press in the week ending 28 November 2003. The poster's graphic style is based upon one previously published by the Institute.

This new poster is a humorous spoof published by Butlins Swimathon 2004, and is intended to raise awareness of this year's Swimathon which in the past has raised millions of pounds for many charities. It was published along with a press release which is reproduced in full below.

Despite the very obvious humorous intent some of the national press didn't see the joke and as a result many of the press articles contained incorrect information that was given to the media. ISRM would like to confirm that the Butlins Swimathon poster does not represent official guidance on acceptable pool behaviour, nor is the poster any form of update of our previous guidance.

As members are aware, ISRM does produce carefully thought out guidance on acceptable pool behaviour and this is contained in our recently published poster, "pool rules", which is used by hundreds of pools in the United Kingdom, and is available for purchase from ISRM. ISRM fully supports and endorses the Butlins Swimathon which will take place 13-21 March 2004.

Full text of Butlins Swimathon press release

SWIMMING POOLS ACROSS THE UK INTRODUCE NEW POOLSIDE ETIQUETTE CAMPAIGN

Today a national campaign was launched across many of Britain's swimming pools, with the hope of improving the etiquette of today's young waterbabes. The new rules mean that celebrity swimmers such as Peter Stringfellow and Jordan could soon be banned from their local waterworld should they choose to don a skimpy thong.

A survey conducted by the organisers of the world's largest swimming fundraiser 'Butlins Swimathon' which this year aims to raise £2.5 million for Macmillan Cancer Relief, has revealed information that surprised even the event's president, Olympic swimming champion Duncan Goodhew.

When researching safety rules and regulations for the one-week fundraiser, it became clear that today's poolside complaints have moved from bans on 'Bombing and Ducking' to 'Thongs are Wrong'. Over the last few months, 200 pool bosses across the country were asked to list common concerns that they faced when managing their pools. Many of the findings are straight out of an edition of You've been Framed. Today's new top pool rules include bans on habits such as taking your mobile into the swimming area, poolside snacking, overdoing the bling bling jewellery and wearing swimwear that should be restricted to the Baywatch cast.

A ban on snogging gave the Breast Stroke a whole new meaning. In an attempt to combat these modern day poolside habits the famous 1970's Pool Rules poster has been recreated with a modern twist and is being distributed nationally to all swimming pools across the UK. Butlins Swimathon President Duncan Goodhew said of the research: "We were really expecting comments on nose-plugs and swimming caps. We were amazed to discover that pool managers actually have to ask swimmers to refrain from using their mobiles or games consoles on the waters edge. One swimming pool even caught a young female swimmer texting a friend details of a hunky lifeguard! We're hoping that the introduction of the updated Swimming Poster campaign will enforce important safety messages whilst remaining fun!"

The poster will be distributed to leisure centres, health clubs and spas across the UK to ensure that the 30,000 swimmers taking part in the event next March do not encounter any of these problems. Pool managers can contact 0845 36 700 36 to find out more about Butlins Swimathon or get hold of their own top pool rules poster. Diving into the largest swimming fundraiser on the planet couldn't be easier. You can enter Butlins Swimathon simply by logging onto www.swimathon.org or calling the hotline on 0845 36 700 36. You can also collect an entry form at your local participating pool.

For further information please contact: Butlins Swimathon 2004 press office on 020 7299 4177 OR the Macmillan Cancer Relief press office on 020 7840 7806 OR The Swimathon Foundation at www.swimathonfoundation.org