Target reached!
Help us achieve our stretch target and deliver benefits to the people of Wycombe Dis...
Wycombe District Swimming Club Covid-19 Appeal
High Wycombe, England, United Kingdom
Aim: Without our ability to host competitions our very existence is under threat. We need your help to keep our swimmers active and happy.
Our Organisation
We are Wycombe District Swimming Club (WDSC) - a successful community swimming club with a long history in High Wycombe and the surrounding district. We celebrated 110 years of swimming in August 2020 and are a club of 600 members, aged 6 to 84, unique in that we provide aquatic activities for performance, competition, fitness and fun for all ages, ability levels and aspirations.
Why are we Crowdfunding?
WDSC relies on our Open Meets (competitions) that we host in the state-of-the-art 50m pool at Handy Cross in Wycombe. We have been unable to host these competitions since Covid-19 arrived in March 2020 and are unlikely hold any more before late Spring 2021. This loss of income has left a sizeable hole in our finances.
The money we raise here will enable us to:
- retain the professional coaches that deliver such a successful programme
- deliver online training sessions for all squads
- offer mental health support to members through the coaching and welfare teams
- continue to buy pool time for our sessions such as water polo and development squads. These give members of the wider community the chance to be part of a club, keep fit and have fun without the pressure of competition
- provide opportunities for young people to gain valuable leadership and life skills through teaching younger swimmers. Over recent years we have given over 50 volunteers the chance to develop their confidence and communication skills, through D of E and other initiatives, that will help them in their future careers
- produce confident swimmers able to provide water safety for everyone.
- subsidise the fees of our members aged 80 and over.
If we achieve our stretch target we will:
- supplement the bursaries we offer to lower income families to remove the financial barrier to participation
- run an outreach programme in the community via schools and other organisations to promote the physical and mental health benefits of swimming. Through this we want to attract under represented groups and thereby increase the diversity of the club to be more reflective of the Wycombe population.
- give more support to our Enable squad, encouraging more disabled swimmers to experience the joy of swimming
Effects of Covid-19
Over our history we have coached swimmers to the highest levels and managed to get through two World Wars, yet now the modern-day threat of Covid-19 could close the Club for good. Covid-19 hit our sport and club harder than most, yet through the hard work of the coaching team, committee and an army of volunteers we have managed to keep our swimmers engaged, fit and ready to race.
During the lockdowns we have been held quizzes, online cooking sessions, 1-2-1 and "virtual lounge" events where members can socialise together if they are feeling lonely or overwhelmed by the situation.
Our younger members are also missing out on important physical education at school, the online fitness sessions offered by WDSC may be the only exercise these children are able to access.
Before the first lockdown we retained the Top Club Trophy at the 2020 County Championships for the 6th year in a row and we were all ready and set to take 21 swimmers to the Olympic Trials in April 2020 – sadly this event was cancelled. Our other recent achievements include:
- In 2019 we became the Top Club in the South East through topping the South East Regional Medal Table and securing a historic WIN in the Final of the Arena National Premier League, Southern Final.
- Our adult (Masters) swimmers also secured the Top Masters Club Trophy in the County for the 2nd year running.
- Two of our disability squad swimmers earned International selection.
- Record numbers qualified for the English and British Summer Championships with our swimmers earning 20 medals at the British event.
- One of our Juniors also achieved a Silver medal at the 2019 European Junior Open Water Championships while her teammates helped the Club achieve Top Club at the National Open Water Championships.
Our Club
We are a Club for all ages and a Club that is successfully achieving at all levels of the sport we love.
Our coaching team, led by our Olympic Level Coach Kevin Brooks, is highly qualified and experienced and many of our coaches have been recognised through selections at County, Regional, National and International Camps and Competition.
- Coach Kieran and George were selected to coach on the County Camps
- Coach Joe and Gemma were both selected to coach on the Regional Camps
- Our Lead Disability Coach Patrick was selected and invited to attend Swim England Para Swimming Camps and Forums
- Coaches Kevin, Josh and Gemma were all selected to coach on various National Camps
- Head Coach Kevin was selected most recently to be the Head Coach of the GB European Junior team and the Swim England Performance Squad – the highest English squad selected for camps
The Club is one of the top performing UK clubs, boasts a successful performance program that ranks highly in the UK and is proud to have been selected as a Swim England National Performance Centre in Partnership with Bucks New University.
Our Impact on the Community
It’s not just about performance. We also believe that sport is about your own personal achievements. We aim to be an inclusive welcoming club and are proud of our #oneteam ethos. Wycombe District Swimming Club aims to develop swimmers of all abilities and ages to reach their maximum potential.
We offer:
- Stroke improver sessions for adults and younger swimmers that want to progress their swimming beyond "learn to" lessons.
- An academy programme for younger swimmers wishing to train for competition and fitness.
- Performance, development and competitive sections for youth and a strong adult (Masters) programme.
- Water confidence that contributes to the water safety of the district with many lifeguards in the district have been members of our club.
- Water Polo sessions once a week.
To ensure we can keep our members swimming, and able to achieve their sporting and fitness goals into 2021, we need our members, their families and our wider support network to contribute to this fundraiser.
This project successfully funded on 4th March 2021