Target reached!
We can help fund the winter swim season 2021/22 the more we raise.
South London Swim Club - Love your Lifeguard
London, England, United Kingdom
Aim
The number of people swimming at Tooting Bec Lido has more than doubled. To help keep our swimmers safe, we need a new full-time lifeguard.
Who are the South London Swimming Club?
South London Swimming Club has been based at Tooting Bec Lido since it opened in 1906. The Lido is open 365 days a year, and SLSC members take the plunge come rain, shine, sleet or snow.
Why are we fundraising?
Winter membership of the SLSC has more than doubled during the pandemic. October saw 8,300 individual swims in the Lido, compared with just 3,600 in October 2019.
Swimming is well known as a great all-round exercise, and there is growing evidence that cold-water swimming promotes mental and physical health. With outdoor exercise fast becoming part of the ‘new normal’, we expect more and more people will want to use the Lido during the winter and into next year.
What will these funds be used for?
South London Swimming Club have a contract for sole use of the Lido during the winter season. The number of swimmers who can use this huge pool at any one time is limited by how many lifeguards we have, especially now we need to adhere to Covid-19 protocols. By adding an extra member to our lifeguarding team, we can continue welcoming all the current swimmers and the many joining us for the first time who want to take the plunge this winter.
Will you help us?
We're not asking for much, whatever you can spare. Our Club loves to bake cakes for our Sunday morning races - our lifeguards always welcome the treats - so even if you donate the cost of a slice of cake we will be closer to our goal.
South London Swimming Club - our community
South London Swimming Club is in the middle of Tooting Common and it's at the heart of the community. We are a very sociable and inclusive club with members from birth to 90 and every kind of swimmer, from those wanting a leisurely meander through to long distance swimmers training for the Channel.
The Club is run entirely by volunteers and hosts a full calendar of community events ranging from swimming galas, charity events, summer socials, free art festivals, history sharing and the Sunday morning races. The essence of the Club is the community created around the Lido and swimming. It's a place where local people can come together and stay fit and healthy in both mind and spirit.
Every other year since 2006, the Club has hosted the UK Cold Water Swimming Championships attracting 800 swimmers from all over the UK and further afield to this celebration of cold water swimming, competition and fun in the open air. Sadly, Covid restrictions have made it difficult to host them in January 2021.
Tooting Bec Lido
Tooting Bec Lido is a bathing lake built in 1906 by 400 previously unemployed men for the benefit of the local community. South London Swimming Club made its home there in the same year and continues to promote the preservation and enhancement of the Lido for the community and the health benefits of outdoor and cold-water swimming.
The survival of Tooting Bec Lido for more than 100 years is a result of the ongoing collaboration between the local community and the SLSC. The Pavilion is a great example of that tradition, a wonderful resource – originated by the Club, provided for the community and dedicated to the future of both.
Sport England: Active Together has provided £4,032 of match funding
This project successfully funded on 5th January 2021