Boldmere Swimming and Water Polo Club Appeal

Aim

We are aiming to raise £ 15,000 to keep our club alive through this crisis and to get our swimmers and players back in the pool safely.

Who are we?

Boldmere Swimming and Water Polo Club is a friendly, local and inclusive swimming club. Established in 1895 to promote lifelong enjoyment we provide learn to swim, water polo and competitive swimming.

Why are we raising funds?

Due to the Covid-19 crisis and resulting lockdown, we've been unable to swim since the middle of March. These have been uncertain and unsettling times for many members, who have missed their swimming and are eager to return. 

We made the decision to stop collecting training fees for the foreseeable future and reduced membership fees to a minimum. Not all local swimming clubs made this choice. Given that we could not offer full training and that we held some reserves, we still feel it was the right decision. We also want to support our families going through tough times. That said, our reserves were not designed for a crisis of this duration. In the short term, membership may decrease and so we have been looking at next steps.

Based on current projections for a phased return to swimming, we are forecasting a loss of approximately £20,000. The first weekend of July would have been the annual Boldmere Water Carnival which is a significant source of income, relied upon each year to support the growth and development of the club. We have also been unable to take new members which we know will be disappointing to anyone in the local community wanting to start swimming with the club. Many swimmers that have learnt to swim locally look to progress to the next level with us. This has reduced our ability to generate income. Finally, we will need additional funds to manage a safe return to swimming.

In short, we need some reserves to see us through this crisis.

What will these funds be used for?

The money raised will be used to implement social distancing and safety rules as required by Swim England. This will involve having less swimmers in most sessions and will incur additional pool hire costs, this will put a big pressure on our finances and we hope to use fundraising to pay for this. We want to be able to provide additional land training equipment for water polo so players can maintain safe distancing whilst training. We would invest in our future by recruiting more swimming coaches and provide safeguarding and first aid training for volunteers. Any additional funds raised would help to build a club hardship fund to support members going through financial difficulties because of Covid-19.  As a club we want to enable members to retain their membership and assist with fees especially for our younger swimmers.

To keep the fabric of the club alive we have been keeping in touch and encouraging our swimmers to stay active. We have been using zoom for land training and running club challenges, including Pull Buoy Tik Tok, The Tokyo Running and Cycling Challenge and VE Day Biscuit Competition.  We have provided opportunities for virtual chats with teammates and coaches to promote physical and mental health during lockdown.

Getting the most from your donations

We have set a target of £ 15,000 to be raised over the next month. 

The good news is that we are hoping to get the support of Sport England. They have teamed up with Crowdfunder and launched a fund to help clubs - they will hopefully contribute up to 50% of our target. The more we raise, the more support and training we can offer. We are a valued part of our community and hope that you will contribute to our project. Many thanks for your support.

Boldmere Duck Race        

In September, we will be holding a duck race at Plantsbrook Stream, New Hall Valley Park, Sutton Coldfield. Everyone who donates £ 6 or more will be entered into the Boldmere Duck race to be held at 3 pm on Saturday 12th September. (tbc)

£  6 donation =  3 ducks

£ 10 donation =  5 ducks

£ 20 donation = 10 ducks

£ 50 donation = 25 ducks

Prizes Include:

• One year membership including one swim session per week
• Membership to the 250 club
• £50 John Lewis/ Waitrose Voucher
• Boldmere Club Shirt
• Limited Edition Boldmere Swimming Hat
• Treat Filled Baskets

Terms and Conditions:

• All club swimmers are eligible for prizes. Including committee members
• No cash prize equivalent
• Prize cannot be used to claim reimbursement against past training fees
• All other club fees must continue to be paid for the period involved e.g.           Annual membership
• You do not have to attend on the day to win a prize

This project successfully funded on 13th August 2020