Swim England monthly updates 2025

The Swim England Board meets around six times a year and is made up of representatives from across the sport and physical activity sector. Members have background in legal, human resources and finance.

The Swim England Board members are: Richard Hookway (Chair), Aysha Kidwai (Board Champion Equality, Diversity and Inclusion / Independent), Barry Saunders (Member Nominated), Sara Todd (Member Nominated), Andy Salmon (CEO), Joan Wheeler (Member Nominated), Katie Walcott-Greenwood (Independent), Neil Booth (Welfare, Safeguarding and Safety Board Director / Member Nominated), Carrie Ryan (Independent).

The year kicked off with the Swim England Diving Youth Development Squad heading to Sheffield’s Ponds Forge for a training camp focused on refining their techniques, improving physical conditioning and enhancing their mental preparation.

Swim England announced the appointment of two new directors to its Senior Leadership Team.

Helen Marney would join the organisation from British Triathlon as the new Director of Community Participation and Health.

She would be responsible for the strategic direction and leadership of several key aspects of Swim England’s work, including learning to swim, stronger clubs, aquatics for health, lifelong participation and outdoor swimming.

Meanwhile, Maria Papadopoulos was returning to Swim England as People Director.

Maria previously worked for the national governing body as a People Development partner and would be responsible for the strategic direction and leadership of the People team.

A group of 27 future stars were selected as part of Swim England Diving’s Junior Development Squad for 2025. 

The squad, aged between 12 and 18 years old, were chosen due to their impressive results throughout the past year and standing out at the national assessment camp at the end of September.

Swim England announced it was giving its members the opportunity to help shape the future of coaching in aquatics.

A new coaching strategy is being launched later in 2025 and the views of the aquatics community will be at its heart.

As part of the Co-creation of the Future of Coaching process, more than 129,000 members were being asked to complete a survey sharing their views on coaching, while a series of nationwide workshops would give coaches the chance to have their say.

A number of swimmers from Swim England’s National Youth Development Programme (NYDP) enjoyed a four-day training camp to start off 2025.

The NYDP is the fourth step on the Swim England Talent Pathway where 15 and 16-year-old swimmers and para swimmers get the opportunity to continue their progression through various training camps and workshops throughout the season.

Meanwhile, 31 swimmers from the Swim England Youth Performance Squad travelled to Luxembourg for the country’s annual Euro Meet.

Two new Swim England nominated directors were appointed to the Aquatics GB Board.

Joan Wheeler and Sara Todd have replaced long-standing Swim England representatives Keith Ashton and Jane Nickerson.

Swim England began its nationwide Learn to Swim Tour.

The tour, which kicked off at Plymouth and would take in six destinations nationwide, was aimed at all Learn to Swim providers, from operators, swim schools and teachers who deliver the country’s most popular swim syllabus.

Swim England National Award winner Tegan Smith told how becoming a coach gave her a new-found confidence – and also helped her cope as she studied for an international law degree.

Tegan was named Artistic Swimming Development Coach of the Year at the 2024 National Awards and he story was shared as part of the Co-creation of the Future of Coaching process.

She said: “Coaching really helped me grow in confidence. It just helps you get to know everyone because the artistic swimming community is so supportive of everyone.”

Two Team England Commonwealth Games champions announced their retirement from aquatics.

Matty Lee, who also won an Olympic Games gold medal alongside Tom Daley at Tokyo, topped the podium at Birmingham 2022.

He said: “Diving has given me the world, literally. The people I’ve met, the places I’ve travelled, the memories I’ve made. That’s what I’ll cherish the most.”  

Meanwhile, swimmer Brodie Williams, who was also victorious at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, taking gold in the 200m Backstroke, said his career had ‘exceeded his childhood expectations’.

Williams was also a member of Team GB competing at the rearranged Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and said: ““I am extremely proud of what I was able to accomplish and am happy knowing I left everything in the pool.”

Swim England published its latest female health resource focusing on female nutrition for aquatic participants.

It was the second in a series of resources that the national governing body is producing to provide information on female health subjects for people who enjoy aquatics for both leisure and competition.

A selection of Swim England’s swimming with health conditions fact sheets were also refreshed following a review, supported by the University of Nottingham.

Six of a total suite of 14 fact sheets have been reviewed covering asthma, Covid recovery, dementia, ear infection, epilepsy, and glandular fever.

Two years on from the launch of the Heart of Aquatics plan, Swim England Chief Executive Andy Salmon reflected on the progress made – and how the national governing body would be building on it in the future.

Swim England confirmed it would be carrying out a review of historical cases handled between January 2003 and December 2022.

The first national competition of the year was staged by Swim England as around 200 swimmers from 29 different clubs took part in the GoCardless Artistic Swimming National Age Group and Youth Championships at the London Aquatics Centre.

Swim England’s DiSE team completed the second of their overseas camps in Sweden with a 30-strong swimming team picking up 13 medals at the Linkoping Water Games.

More than 70% of children were being taken out of swimming lessons before they can swim competently putting them at risk in the water, new Swim England research found.

The latest wave of the #LoveSwimming campaign revealed that more than half of children are taken out of lessons before mastering basic but vital skills, such as treading water for 30 seconds or floating to live for 60 seconds – skills that are fundamental to a child’s ability to have great experiences in the water.

Swim England and other aquatics bodies made a commitment to further support the improvement of coaches’ welfare and development.

The joint agreement follows the publication of new research commissioned by the British Swimming Coaches Association into coaches’ mental health and wellbeing

Swim England, the BSCA, Aquatics GB, Scottish Swimming and Swim Wales have all jointly agreed to do everything in their power to ‘foster more coaching environments and cultures that genuinely value, support and empower aquatics coaches to flourish’.

Lisa West was appointed as Swim England’s new Finance Director.

She joined from Barrett Redrow PLC, where she held senior finance management roles, and said: “Although I have worked in finance throughout my whole career, I have not come across a role that excites me as much as this one.”

Aquatics GB, Swim England, Scottish Swimming and Swim Wales joined forces to launch a campaign to raise awareness of the vital importance of school swimming across the country

The four governing bodies were rallying support from families, aquatics fans and the Government to ensure that every child that leaves school is set up to enjoy the water safely.

Members of Swim England’s Online Community have helped the North East Region take ‘concrete steps’ to open up all aquatic sports to its members.

The feedback received from the dual discipline athletes task has influenced the region’s June Aquatic Sport Challenge.

A new action plan to highlight the long-term commitment it is taking to make its sports and activities more accessible, diverse and inclusive was published by Swim England.

Chief Executive Andy Salmon said the national governing body’s Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan (DIAP) ‘aligns with One Swim England as we look to create a brighter future for the entire aquatic community’.

The recruitment process to find a head coach for Team England’s swimming and para-swimming teams for the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games began.

A brand-new look for British Masters Swimming marks a significant change in governing structure for the sport.

Following an agreement with Aquatics GB, British Masters Swimming will now move under a joint umbrella of each of the three home nations – Swim England, Scottish Swimming and Swim Wales.

Ponds Forge hosted its first Swim England Water Polo Talent Games as some of the nations top young athletes came together in South Yorkshire.

The event invited athletes and coaches from each of the six water polo talent centres for two days of development and education.

A key training tool which helps swimming teachers introduce aquatic sports skills into their existing lessons was refreshed by Swim England.

The Bringing the Aquatic Sports to Life Through the Learn to Swim Framework CPD arms teachers with the confidence to introduce and talk about the aquatic sports in their lessons, and support them to guide learners on their onward journey to a club environment.

Swim England announced the appointment of Simon Davies as its new director of Safe Aquatics and Welfare.

Simon had agreed to join Swim England from the Scout Association where he had served as the UK Head of Safeguarding,.

He said: “What drew me to Swim England was not only the chance to be closer to home and family, but to contribute meaningfully to an organisation at a pivotal moment of transformation.”

The second national event of the year took place at Nottingham’s Harvey Hadden Sports Village hosted the GoCardless Swim England Artistic Swimming National Championships 2025.

A total of 21 clubs took part in the event, with City of Salford successfully retaining the Redwood Trophy they won for the fist time last year.