An indoor pool that allows rash vests?

[Rashvest]

Our local pools don't allow tops unless sitting tests. DS has had surgery and is very self conscious of his scars. We live close to a body of water and he hasn't swum for a number of years. I worry about the safety aspect of this. We would travel anywhere in the uk and make a holiday of it. Do you know of any pool that would allow a rash vest? Thank you.

That's bonkers! Are you in the UK? Half the swimmers in our local pool are in board shorts and rash vests or "modest swimwear".

I've lived in various places (all south ish) and never found somewhere that DOESN'T allow rash vests. Where abouts are you in the county?

I've never known one to not allow them. All of the ones in our city do, council run and some run by a leisure chain.

Would he wear a tri-suit so an all in one? Quite cheap in decathlon?

I’ve never heard of any local pools stipulating re rash vests? In SE London/Essex/E Herts area. Any pool here would be fine.

how is it any different to a female swimsuit?! Why would they not allow them?

Same as the others. Never been to a pool that doesn't allow them. My boys wear them each time we go swimming as one of them is so skinny that it helps keep his swim shorts up 🤣🙈.
In NW England.

Also never heard of this.

Really? Oh my goodness I am so relieved! He has a wetsuit but isn't confident in open water. He had school swimming lessons, wasn't allowed to cover up and was bullied. He just needs a rash vest to cover up.

I am in a predominantly white area and I think that might be at the heart of this. I was told no T shirts, even if purpose made for swimming.

He hasn't swum since the school swimming lessons.

No local swimming pool I’ve ever been in across several places in the uk has had this rule?
I presume you have properly asked the pools local to you? Not just taken the school swimming as a guide?
We live in a predominantly white area. Plenty of kids (including white ones!) wear swimming tops.

Who told you?

That's mad.
I've never come across a pool that expressed any opinion or rules on what to wear except that you must wear something!
I live in a predominantly white area and people wear all sorts.
I think the range of what's normally seen in the pool has really widened lately and it's great if you ask me.
My DD wears a cossie that covers her arms and goes down to her knees, she just likes it, it's like a funky leotard.

The staff at the pools. I have tried to take him swimming myself. I used to take him to swimming lessons before his surgery.

All Everyone Active have a policy that you can wear rash vests to encourage more people to swim, my DH wears one to cover up scars like your son and he wouldn’t swim without either.

I've never come across a pool with that rule either.

Have you tried all your local pools?

I've tried all local pools which are all run by the same group.

That's just weird! It can't be policy surely?

Never heard of this before. I wear a rash vest in the pool.

The only places that wouldn’t are the ones with slides. I think it’s a H&S thing incase they get caught on the slide that you can’t wear a T-shirt on the actual slide itself but no issue in any pools local to me NW England

Ds always wears a rash vest. He had severe eczema when younger and although he's thankfully mostly grown out of this he still prefers to wear one. Never been to a pool anywhere in the uk that doesn't allow it and that includes council run, privately owned centres big and small and holiday parks .

I've never heard of a pool allowing this before, which is why I asked. I feel a bit stupid now. I'm grateful for the information and now I'm going to look for a premier inn near a nice pool and a station.

Our gym has a pool and the kids wear rash vests. Might be worth investigating your local ones.

Ask to see the pool’s equal opportunities policy.

There should be something in there about making swimming accessible to everyone.

He needs his rash vest to protect his mental well-being whilst swimming - I reckon just mention ‘mental health’ and the ‘Equality Act’ and ‘discrimination’ and they might change their mind.

This is our local leisure centre guidance in Cornwall!

I'd definitely check their guidelines again.