Aqua Bests returns to Bar End on Thursday 29 October: swimming, aqua aerobics and water polo for adults with learning disabilities. £10, places still open.
A morning of swimming, aqua aerobics and water polo for adults with learning disabilities returns to Winchester next week. Winchester Aqua Bests is on Thursday 29 October at Winchester Sport and Leisure Park at Bar End, and places are still open.
It is the second year of the event. The first, in 2025, had 34 participants. Forty people had already registered for this year’s by 21 October, according to Winchester City Council.
The day at a glance
These details are from the organiser’s registration form and its Personal Bests page.
| Date | Thursday 29 October 2026 |
| Registration | 10am |
| Activities | 10.30am to 12 noon |
| Awards and social | 12.30pm to 1.30pm |
| Where | Winchester Sport and Leisure Park, Bar End Road, SO23 9NR |
| Cost | £10 per participant |
| Rash vest | Optional, £5 |
There are three activities to try:
- swimming
- aqua aerobics
- water polo
Every participant gets a medal and a certificate. The rash vests are new this year. Active LD says they are for people who feel the cold in the pool, and the size is chosen on the registration form.
Who can take part
The event is for adults with learning disabilities, and the council says it welcomes people who also have physical disabilities. The form asks about each person’s needs, including wheelchair use and sight or hearing loss, so the coaches can plan for them.
People can come with a day service or learning disability group and ask to be put in a team with people they know. They can also come on their own to meet new people. The form offers both options.
Who runs it
Active LD, a charity that organises sport for people with learning disabilities, runs Aqua Bests with Winchester City Council and Everyone Active, which operates the leisure park. Winchester City Swimming Club and Winchester Water Polo Club are supporting it.
Betty Chadwick, Active LD’s executive director, said in the council’s announcement that being in the water “can make movement easier and help people feel more independent”. She said some people who find moving on dry land difficult feel “a real sense of freedom” in the pool.
Aqua Bests is the water-based sister of Winchester Personal Bests, the accessible sports day held at the same leisure park every September. This year’s, on 3 September, was the 14th and the biggest yet, with a record 212 participants and 70 volunteers, according to Active LD.
What it means for you
If you support someone who might enjoy it, there is still time to sign up. You can:
- register through Active LD’s online form
- download the paper form and send it in
- email events@activeld.org or call 07884 063201 with questions
The paper form still gives a deadline of 18 September. Active LD’s own page and the council’s announcement of 21 October both say sign-up remains open, so ask the charity if you are unsure.
Payment is by cash, cheque or bank transfer, and Active LD sends bank details once it has the form. The charity says a welcome pack goes out by email to each participant or their day service before the event.
If you are driving, our parking guide covers the car parks around the city. The council’s new charges start on 1 November, after the event.
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