Diamonds WPC Swim For Life

Aim

We want to help children and women have access to swimming lessons and provide them with a skill for life, whilst having fun!

Who are we?

Diamonds Water Polo Club is based in North Belfast and is run mainly by women and mainly for women. We are based in an area of deprivation where being able to swim is a luxury for some people. 

We run minipolo lessons for children aged 6 upwards, junior waterpolo up to senior and masters waterpolo. Our members compete within Ulster, in an Irish league and in international competitions. Some of our members have represented Ulster and Ireland at senior level and our masters team have competed in the World and European Masters Championships.

Why are we crowdfunding?

Being based in an area of deprivation, we want to help provide our community with a skill for life. We want to enable all members of the community to be able to swim and we have a particular interest in supporting children and women of all ages within this community. 

For us, swimming is a vital life skill, but for some, it can be seen as a luxury. By providing access to swimming lessons for all members of the community, as well as the appropriate kit to do so, we can enable the next generation of swimmers. We would also like to begin a mentorship programme for young people who are interested in coaching. This will provide these young people with new skills and the confidence to participate in a vital role within the club. These young people may be the future of our club! The club is run entirely by volunteers and relies on our members to keep it running.

How we’ll spend the money raised

Project budget

1.    Womens swim development: 

4 weeks x 1 hr swim development 

£62 ph pool hire x 6

2 coaches @ £30 per hr (£60 per hr)  x 6

Total cost £732

2.    Intensive swim improvers and mini-polo fun sessions for local kids: Open to all  (max 36 children) 9-13 February

Pool hire 1.5hrs x 5 @ £62 = £465 

3 coaches @ £30 per hr x 3 (£90 ph x1.5) = £135 ph

Total cost = £985

3.    Six week swim improvers and minipolo fun session FREE SCHOOL MEALS 

£62 ph pool hire x 6

2 coaches @ £30 per hr (60 per hr) x 6

Total cost £732

4.    Soft balls for minipolo / swim improvers : 20 x £10    = £200

5.    Goggles x 36 x£4 = £144

6.    Swim hats 36 x £4 = £144

7.    Pizza rewards with community partner for volunteers £120 contribution

Total project cost: £3009.00

Community impact

Not only is swimming a skill for life, we recognise its importance in safety as well as the enjoyment of the water. Our project aims to enable children and women to swim and to also try the sport of waterpolo. 

We also hope to mentor young people in waterpolo coaching - giving them the opportunity to learn vital skills in how to interact with others, encourage and develop others as well as giving them the opportunity to explore their own skills. This can open up a whole world of options in terms of their future career options, as well as assisting the club (which is run entirely by volunteers) to continue to function.

Coaching skills can be transferable to other disciplines and may be beneficial in helping young people gain paid employment or in securing future studies. We would like that this opportunity will not only benefit the club, but the lives of the young people volunteering their time. We also plan to reward them with a team bonding pizza night (supporting a local business) after their mentoring sessions are completed. 

How you can play your part

There are four simple ways to help us reach our target, and make this project a reality.

1. Make a pledge. Don’t delay if you’re going to support us because momentum is key to our success!

2. Spread the word. Share our project on your social media pages and tell the world to get behind us! The more people we reach, the more support we will get.

3. Offer rewards. Get involved if you are a local business by donating things we can offer to our supporters. We will give you a shout out!

4. Fundraise for us. If you want to run your own fundraiser – maybe a sponsored activity or similar – use the 'contact project' button at the top of our page to let us know. Setting up your own page only takes a few minutes and you won’t need any bank details. Just a fun idea!

Funding method

Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made