Retired bus inspector Afzal Mohammad, from Cardiff, arrives promptly at Western Leisure Centre every weekday morning at 7am to swim. It’s a cherished routine he’s been following since 2006.
Afzal will be 78 in March and credits his early morning exercise with helping him keep healthy and ‘saving the NHS’. Four other regular swimmers have become firm friends and he’s proud of the fact that the speed of his daily crawl keeps him in the pool’s fast lane.
Formerly a keen badminton player, Afzal took voluntary redundancy in 2005. Having driven an open top tour bus and helped out at the Principality Stadium, he’s been fully retired since July last year but still gets up at 5.30am to swim.
“Swimming has been my lifeline for nearly twenty years,” he said. “Everyone at the leisure centre is very welcoming and the 6-lane swimming pool is clean and well maintained.
“I’m asthmatic but haven’t been to the doctor in a long while. I believe that’s down to keeping fit and doing something that genuinely gives me a great deal of pleasure.”
Operating under the Better brand, GLL is the not-for-profit social enterprise that runs eight leisure centres in the Cardiff area on behalf of Cardiff City Council.
With access to swimming becoming ever more important for both adults and children, an extra 102.5 hours per week of swim for fitness opportunities are now available across the partnership.
“As Afzal Mohammad clearly demonstrates, regular swimming is a wonderful way of keeping healthy, whilst making friends and having fun,” said Matt Simmons, GLL Transformation Manager.
“I’m delighted more people can now benefit from the exercise swimming provides.”
For more information, visit https://www.better.org.uk/leisure-centre/cardiff
