Maxwell Swim Club COVID-19 Fundraiser

We are Maxwell Swim Club, the top competitive swimming club in the Aylesbury Vale and we are asking for your help.  

Who are we? 
We are a volunteer-run, not-for-profit organisation dedicated to helping people of all ages reach their potential in swimming and have fun. We have guided swimmers from learn to swim all the way up to international representation. Last year, we won the top junior club at the Oxford and North Bucks County Championships, a massive feat against clubs much bigger than ours. This is a testament to the talent of swimmers and coaches we have. Most importantly, however, we aim to create a friendly team of people who love swimming.

Why are we asking for help?  
Last year we celebrated our 40th birthday. However, 2020 has been a difficult year for us. The pandemic has seen pool costs rise, pool time reduced, and the affordability of swimming affected. We want swimming to remain a sport that is accessible and affordable for all our members.
This past year, we have been unable to run our open meets (swimming competitions). Maxwell Swim Club usually hosts four meets a year, which are popular with swimmers and clubs, local and national alike. These generate the majority of our fundraising for the year, which the club needs to stay financially afloat. Without this, our swimmers risk losing the club and community with whom they partake in the sport they love. These periods of lockdown have shown just how important sport and community are to the mental and physical wellbeing of young people and adults. We are asking that you help us to keep this important resource and community alive, so that our members (past, present, and future) continue to benefit from it.

Additionally, we need to fund new equipment, both for training and competition purposes. Maxwell Swim Club is based at Aqua Vale Swimming and Fitness Centre, the host pool of the main weekends of the Oxfordshire and North Bucks County Championships. We also host competitions for the National Arena League and the Milton Keynes Junior League, events which are key for the competitive development of young and more experienced swimmers, as well as being incredibly good fun. As such, any equipment needed for competitions, such as timing pads, is beneficial, not just for our club, but for other local clubs too. We currently need to fundraise for these, so are asking for your help to support local swimming talent and clubs.

Statement from Noel Horton, our head coach:
Maxwell Swim Club has existed within the Aylesbury Vale since 1979, producing and facilitating County, Regional, National, Junior and Senior International representation.

The club has provided swimming for the past 41 years within the Aylesbury Vale catering from junior level swimming all the way through to performance swimming in both Buckingham and Aylesbury. 

Through strong links with local leisure providers and learn to swim schools, the club has reached the heights of achieving top Junior Club in the ONB County with many swimmers achieving top 20 rankings in various disciplines nationally. 

To achieve this, the swimmers need the pool time and equipment to help them achieve their aims within the sport they love. Due to the current COVID situation, the club is not able to financially support itself with the loss of its very successful swimming competitions. This is also creating a strain on being able to still purchase the equipment such as heart rate monitors, timing pads and other such equipment to aid in their swimming development due to any spare club funds being earmarked for pool and coach hire costs.

We are trying desperately to keep Maxwell Swim Club, a club with 40 years of history and a thriving community of members and ex-members, alive. Please help us via this Crowdfunding campaign so that we don’t lose the sport and club we love.