Swim England

A nation swimming

Our Swim England family is so inspiring to us and we’re with them all the way

Jane Nickerson, Swim England chief executive, gives an update on the detailed work taking place to support members and clubs.

Our Swim England family is so important to us.

More than 200,000 of you inspire every one of us at Swim England each and every day – and you’re the reason why we’re working tirelessly to ensure all of you can get back into the water as soon as possible.

Many of you have been flocking back to pools after the Government eased lockdown restrictions and allowed facilities to reopen on Saturday 25 July.

We hope that you’re loving the unique feeling that only swimming and aquatic activity can bring after being unable to visit pools for so long.

However, for many of our members, the return to the water is nothing without the ability to race and compete in the discipline of your choice.

We understand their frustrations but are looking at unique ways of creating a competitive element to club sessions while our national events cannot take place.

Very soon, we’ll be announcing details of our virtual racing concept for swimming, Level X. This is a brand new event that gives our club swimmers of all ages an opportunity to put their training to the test.

We’re also working hard on how we can deliver events next year in all our disciplines.

Of course, these will need to be Covid-secure but our discipline leadership groups are developing detailed plans on format and delivery which we will be sharing with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport in the near future.

We know it is heartbreaking for those clubs that are still fighting to get into the water as pools remain shut but we’re doing all we can to help you.

We know that without central Government support, there is a real risk that hundreds of pools up and down the country will close for good.

Not only will that be detrimental to the health and wellbeing of the nation, it will also mean many of our affiliated clubs will have nowhere to train and meet.

I’d encourage all clubs to complete a short Clubs Return to the Water survey we have put together to tell us about the current situation you face.

We want to understand the impact the coronavirus pandemic has had – and is still having – on your club.

By gaining this valuable insight, we can work closer with facility owners and operators on issues such as a lack of water time and hire fees.

We might not be able to solve everything but by having the knowledge of what the real issues are, we can continue to bang the drum on behalf of all our clubs.

Finally, I’d like to say a big thank you to those who have signed as a supporter, campaigner or champion to help us fight to get back into the water and help us achieve our ambition of a nation swimming,

If you haven’t already done so, you can sign up here.

Please encourage your friends and family to do so as well.

In the meantime, please continue to enjoy the activities you love or lobby the local government if you’re not yet back in the water. We can provide templates for you to use to do this.

Remember, we’re with you all the way.

Jane M Nickerson

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