In My Own Words: From Colleague to local celebrity
96-year-old Penny’s story
You know how the saying goes, age is just a number. When it comes to staying active and healthy, it’s never too late to get started and keep moving!
One of our Customers, Penny, is proof of how getting older doesn’t mean you have to totally slow down.
96-year-old Penny heads to Aldershot Pools & Fitness Centre every day to take a dip – that’s 5 days a week, every week!
Her dedication is truly inspiring. Penny has been part of the centre’s Community since she was just eight years old. What began as visits with her father—who worked as a groundsman—soon turned into a personal journey. She started out as a Customer, then grew into roles as a lifeguard, swim teacher, and receptionist.
“My favourite role was the receptionist.” Penny said. “It meant I could bring along my dog to my shifts, who would give people a nice hello as they walked in.” Who wouldn’t love being welcomed by a furry co-worker?
Aside from swimming, Penny was also a committed runner back in the day, and she still manages to pick up some speed on foot nowadays with her walker.
Now as a Customer again, Penny makes her daily dips and trips to the centre a priority.
“It’s the sort of place you can come and be welcomed and feel comfortable, it’s such a warm centre.” Penny says. “Everyone knows everybody, it’s lovely…we have lots of laughs here.”
Sammy, a Placemaker Manager at Aldershot Pools & Fitness Centre, met Penny when she started working at the centre six years ago, and they’ve been friends ever since! Penny’s old-school ‘use it or lose it’ approach to health and fitness is something that Sammy hugely admires.
Sammy picks Penny up and drops her home when she comes for a swim. Penny jokes that Sammy has become her "unofficial PA and chauffeur" - her words, not ours!
As well as being a regular at the centre, and Aldershot Lido in the summer, Penny is quite the local celebrity. The centre hosted a birthday party for her when she turned 96, complete with tea, sandwiches, and cake for other Customers and the local Community to enjoy alongside Penny! She knows almost everybody – and it’s tough to find somebody in the local area who doesn’t know her.
“I couldn’t live without Community. Even at home, it’s very important. If you want to come to a pool, this is the place.” Penny says.
“Where Penny lives is quite old-school in that it has a proper ‘leave your door open’ belief, everybody looks after each other.” Sammy adds.
For Penny, the Community feel has been felt strongly throughout the years, especially with her fellow Colleagues when she worked at the centre. She has fond memories of having to frequently dive into the pool to retrieve her wedding ring that kept falling off, as well as cooking up a regular Sunday dinner in the centre’s compact but convenient kitchen.
There’s more to Penny’s Community than People, she also loves animals! She used to own a corgi and a labrador which frequently visited the centre alongside her, and she currently owns two tortoises named Big and Little. As a dog lover, she’s a keen visitor to the Lido’s yearly Dog Day too!
It’s no surprise that swimming is now a part of Penny’s daily routine. Swimming keeps your heart strong, can help to lower blood pressure, and it’s even a safe exercise option for those who have cancer*. Not forgetting the mental health benefits of swimming too, it can improve sleep and reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression.
“I love swimming every day. It’s good for you as you get older…it really keeps my brain sharp too.” Penny says.
“Swimming is all I do now, I don’t do much else apart from that as well as my housework, shopping, and gardening. I love meeting the younger generation through swimming too, they’re all lovely.” she adds.
We love nothing more than seeing how Customers, like Penny, value our centres and what they provide. From boosted energy levels to socialising with like-minded People, her story is here to remind us all that keeping active in ways you enjoy is a game-changer for improving your everyday!
Within our 90+ centres, our commitment to engage with and meet the needs of our Communities keeps on growing. We’re not just here to motivate People to become fitter, our places are where the whole Community can come together to exercise and socialise.
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*As always, it’s important to take things slow and seek advice when increasing your exercise levels and making changes to your lifestyle. If you feel like you need more support to manage your symptoms, we recommend talking to a GP/health professional.