Newcastle Swimming Club, Small Club, Big Ambitions

"Help us give North Staffs youngsters the opportunities they deserve to make up for lost time"

For years, our small club has had big ambitions. We've been planning to expand and set up our own academy and performance programme but have not been able to due to lack of pool time in our local pools. 

Then, out of the blue, a local school approached us with an offer of unlimited pool time in exchange for creating a swim academy alongside their own learn to swim school programme for the benefit of all local school children. 

It was the opportunity we'd been waiting for, but then the Pandemic hit. Almost overnight our income was dramatically cut and pool hire costs shot up as our local pool sprung a leak and we were forced to look further afield to train. 

Even on a normal month our expenses exceed our income but we plug the gap with funds from our annual "Yule in Pool" swimming gala. Naturally, that got cancelled last year. So, to survive, the clubs used all its reserves meaning that we don't have the funds to launch our new initiatives and that bring us nicely to our Crowdfunding Project!

We'd need your help to deliver 3 important programmes that will help all our local youngsters get back into the pool and be the best they can be.

Open a Swim Academy for 6-10 year olds so that children in the local area can access high level coaching programmes that will ultimately see them develop excellent technical swimming skills (not to mention essential survival skills) whilst having great fun. This will be led by our Head Coach who is a former Olympic and Commonwealth trialist and also Head Coach for Staffordshire.

Funds needed - to buy new equipment, pay for and train new coaching staff and pool hire fees.

• Introduce the Optimum Athlete Development Framework (OADF) to equip our young people with wider life skills, to enable them to become more rounded individuals, not just technically excellent swimmers. We will be the first small club in the UK to introduce the OADF. This is a framework which is already in place in many of the largest and most successful swimming clubs in the country, as it seeks to describe the characteristics that swimmers will need to possess in order to be successful at the highest level.

Funds needed - to develop a suite of educational materials which swimmers, parents and coaches can access, as well as funds to pay for a reward scheme to support this framework.

• Launch an Elite Performance Programme right here in North Staffordshire, which will give hundreds of young talented swimmers the opportunity to join a pathway which could see them represent England or GB in world championships or even the Olympic Games. There are currently no performance programmes in Staffordshire so this will mean local talent can follow an elite programme without enduring a long commute. This will ultimately mean more talented swimmers from the local area will make it onto national elite pathways, to join the likes of Staffordshire’s very own Adam Peaty. 

Funds needed - to hire more pool time, gym time and classroom time to deliver a comprehensive programme of education to support the swimmer’s journey. Equally, we will need to pay for ‘experts’ in nutrition & hydration, strength & conditioning, sports psychology and goal setting plus funds to run swim camps for both talented youth swimmers and aspiring talent. 

Why do we need your support?

We want to turn the negative impact of Covid-19 into a positive. Unfortunately, Covid-19 will use up the Club’s reserves so there will be no funds available to launch these exciting new ventures.

What will your support mean?

Implementing our ambitious plans will be a game changer for our small club. We will be able to secure our financial future by significantly growing our membership and associated fee income. 

Our ambitious team of volunteers has been working alongside our highly skilled coaches to develop robust plans, all we need now is the financial support to make them a reality.

The opportunities we will be able to offer will make a real difference to aspiring young swimmers such that, ultimately, more swimmers from Staffordshire will represent GB on the world stage. 

We can do it, together!

We feel strongly that, being able to offer such exciting opportunities to local youngsters is so important as so many doors have been closed for our young people during the pandemic. With your help, we can offer them the chance to not only ‘dream big’ but, equally, to bring their dreams to life. 

Check out some of the great rewards on offer...

WOW - The raffle prizes keep rolling in!

Generous local businesses are being so supportive. Many of them are struggling themselves but are keen to get behind our fundraiser.

Remember, when you enter any of our raffles you're in with chance to win these goodies. 

Go on, it's worth a £5 for you a strip of tickets!

Delicious Mornflake Hamper Raffle

Mornflake, the Millers of Mighty Oats Since 1675 have kindly donated 2 gorgeous hampers and 2 lovely gift bags to help our club raise funds.

Each hamper and bag is bursting with tasty oaty goodies. Whether you're a  fan of the Crunchy Hawaiian Granola or like your oats a little simpler, there's something for everyone.

Buy a £5 strip of virtual raffle tickets to be in with a chance of winning one of these 4 delicious prizes!

Garden Lovers Hamper Raffle, worth over £70!

This delightful hamper is the perfect prize for any garden lover. It contains, Sophie Conran everyday gardening gloves, Sophie Conran for Burton and Ball hand weeder, 10 Blackboard labels with white oil marker, Pair of storage sacks, Spool of jute twine, 2 hanks of raffia, Leaf sack, Seed storage envelopes, Seedling labels and an Oak diblet.

Aerial Acrobatics or Pole Dancing Experience!

If you live life on the adventurous side, then how about a taste of Aerial Acrobatics or Pole Dancing. We'll make this bespoke prize perfect for you. Whether it's for a group of adults or children, we'll make sure it's an experience you never forget.

It's a great way to improve strength, flexibility, stamina, posture and grace. And let's not forget, it's an experience you will never forget. You never know, next year you could be on stage taking part in the annual show in the Victoria Hall in Hanley!

£5 buys you a strip of raffle tickets that could be your key to the exciting world of aerial acrobatics!