About us
Morpeth swimming club is a not for profit, friendly community amateur sports club established in 1969 and based in Northumberland. We have 160 swimmers and over 40 volunteers who help to us to give a high-quality experience to all those who want to pursue their competitive swimming ambitions.
We have the widest range of swimmers, from our Minnows, the youngest squad who concentrate on developing their technique and learning to love the sport, all the way up to Performance squad where we have swimmers competing on a national and international stage. Swimming provides our members not only with the opportunity to keep fit and pursue a fantastic sport, but also to build dedication and commitment, forge lifelong friendships and, perhaps most importantly, to have fun.
Our amazing volunteers give their time to support the day to day running of the club through coaching and committee membership, and also our events which include “mini galas” which give the younger swimmers their first taste of being in a competition.
Excellent coaching is vital for our sport and our regular coaches are offered support to gain their Swim England qualifications to ensure that our swimmers have the best opportunities. Swimmers age 13+ are able to gain their Aquatic Helper certificate and we currently have over 15 of our swimmers coaching the younger squads to hone their skills and give them valuable experience to take with them into their adult lives.
The swimming club has been a staple in Morpeth for over half a century and we would like to continue to be there for the future, especially as the new state of the art leisure centre is due to open in 2023.
COVID was a challenging time for us, however, it showed just how resilient our swimmers were. With the support and dedication of our coaching team, led by Becki McGuire, team spirit was maintained throughout that period through online land training sessions and monthly challenges. In some ways it brought the club closer together and offered a level of consistency and support when young people really needed it.
What are we raising funds for
Moving forward from COVID we are now faced with new challenge of rapidly increasing energy bills which will affect the day to day running costs of the club. We also know that there is the distinct possibility that our swimming families who are negatively affected by the high cost of living, will not be able to afford club membership in the long term.
Morpeth ASC has a commitment to the swimmers to ensure our coaching volunteers have the relevant qualifications to fulfil our commitment to offering the highest quality service, as well as being an essential element of our Swim England Swimmark accreditation, the kite mark for swimming clubs nationally. These courses are expensive, and we need to gain external funding in order that our coaches can attend.
Finally, the social aspect of being a part of a team and the focus and fitness benefits that sport brings positively impacts the mental health of our swimmers and volunteers. Losing swimmers or volunteers due to finance is something we are desperate to avoid. This is why we are launching our crowd funding appeal to ensure that we can keep the club and its members buoyant, healthy and successful.
How we will spend the money
We want to be able to continue the club’s services to the members that we have, and also to inspire new swimmers to come and join us.
Our short-term goal is to keep the club running by keeping our coach and volunteer team, to keep the pool time we have, and to provide every swimmer to achieve their potential, whether that be their first mini gala, national championships, or maintaining their fitness levels.
To do this the money raised will contribute to
1. Coaching and volunteer education and development courses
2. Costs for our quarterly mini galas
3. Kit to ensure our volunteers are comfortable on poolside and feel a part of the team
4. Pool hire
Long term we hope that the funds raised can be added to our reserves which were affected coming out of the pandemic. This will allow us a bit of breathing space and capacity to cope with future uncertainties.
For more information on our club, please visit our website www.morpethswimmingclub.com.
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. Create a fundraiser of your own. Use the button on our page to get started. Setting up your own page only takes a few minutes and you won’t need any bank details. Just a fun idea!