Cinderford & District Swimming Club has been a proud part of the Forest of Dean community since 1977, encouraging physical and mental good health & wellbeing whilst enabling competitive opportunities at all levels.
As a result of the current pandemic, we have been unable to train since March, and have had to cancel fundraising events which are a crucial part of our annual income.
As a volunteer-run community sports provider in an area of socio-economic deprivation we regard it as our duty to provide support, especially to our younger members, to enable them to develop both as swimmers and as well-rounded, resilient individuals; the swimming club nurtures friendships outside the school environment and encourages core lifeskills such as self-confidence, perseverance and teamworking.
We often loan out our coaches and other volunteers to other clubs to enable their events to take place, and it would be a real shame if we could not continue to do so.
We appreciate that this is a challenging time for everyone, and that our costs (when we get back to our usual pool) will necessarily increase to accommodate the requirements of social distancing; we are following all available SwimEngland guidance on restricted pool space as safety is very much a priority. We are looking at financial losses which could threaten our ability to deliver training and facilities to our 100+ members if gone unchecked.
Any money raised will be used to keep the Club alive, to push forward with getting a degree of normality back into the lives of the members and their families, and to start building the swimmers back up to their desired levels of fitness and confidence.