Witham BSAC Project Clean and Safe Air

Aim

Help Witham BSAC keep people active above and below water! We need to replace our air compressor as it has reached end of life.

Who are we?

Witham SCUBA Diving Club is a volunteer-run scuba diving club, operating as a branch of the British Sub-Aqua Club (BSAC) and managed by a committee. The club has been helping people discover and enjoy the underwater world since 1980. We provide opportunities for people of all ages and backgrounds to learn new skills, improve their physical and mental wellbeing, and become part of a supportive local community.

Our youngest member is 17 and our oldest is 79 (and still actively diving). In addition, we have a number of social members who are all former divers but still wish to be part of the club and take part in non-diving activities.

Over the last few years, we’ve grown from around 30 members post Covid to more than 60 active members now, demonstrating the increasing demand for accessible, affordable diving opportunities in our area. A number of our new joiners learned to dive with other agencies but liked the vibe and community feel of our club.

Why are we crowdfunding?

Unfortunately, our club’s air compressor – the essential piece of equipment used to fill diving cylinders safely – has reached the end of its life after nearly 30 years of service. Replacement parts are no longer available, making repair and servicing impossible.

Without a compressor, our ability to deliver training, diving activities, and community projects is severely affected. Members are forced to travel long distances to fill air cylinders, increasing costs and creating barriers to participation. Having a compressor helps us attract new members who already dive and retain members who have learnt to dive with us.

The cost of a new compressor is greater than our reserves and it would take a number of years to save and fundraise the amount needed through club membership. We recently had our air mixing panel serviced and a number of parts replaced as part of our ongoing project to ensure we have clean and safe air.

The good news is that Sport England has recognised the value of our club and has awarded us a grant through the Sport England Movement fund towards the replacement compressor. However, as part of the funding requirements, we must raise an equal or greater amount through community support.

How we’ll spend the money raised

The money raised, along with the matching Sport England funding, will be used to purchase and install a new Coltri Mark III Silent compressor, a long-term investment that will support our club and community for at least the next 20 years.

The new compressor will cost £8272 with a further £1500 estimated for delivery, installation, commissioning and training costs. 

The new compressor will need to be connected to a 3-phase electricity supply and pipework will need to be amended to connect it our existing air mixing panel and air banks as the new compressor is smaller. It will then need to be checked and an air test performed to make sure the air is safe to breathe. Finally, our qualified compressor operators will need to be trained in how to use the new compressor.

This is our existing compressor:

This is the compressor we will replace this with:

Community impact

Witham SCUBA Diving Club is much more than a diving club.

We:

• Provide regular physical activity opportunities for our 60+ members.
• Train and support new divers in a safe and welcoming environment.
• Help people build confidence, friendships, and lifelong skills.
• Run beach cleans and marine conservation activities.
• Promote environmental awareness through our dedicated Marine Champion.
• Support people to stay active, connected, and engaged in their community.
• Run regular social activities to ensure our non-diving members can continue to be involved in the club.

A new compressor will not only allow us to continue these activities but also help us expand our training programme and welcome new members in the years ahead.

As mentioned before, we have club members ranging from 17 to 79 years of age.

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!

Every donation, no matter how small, will help us reach our goal.

If you’ve ever benefited from local sports clubs, community groups, volunteering, environmental projects, or simply believe in helping people stay active and connected, please consider supporting our campaign.

Together, we can secure the future of Witham SCUBA Diving Club and ensure that more people can enjoy the benefits of diving, fitness, friendship, and marine conservation for many years to come.

Thank you for your support.

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If you are interested in doing the Try Dive Reward, then please visit this website to book and secure your spot before donating.

https://www.withamscubaclub.org.uk/book-a-try-dive/ 

If you would like to find out more about the club, or are interested in joining, then please visit our website:

https://www.withamscubaclub.org.uk/

If you are a club member interested in the gym rewards we will pass your details on to the trainer to arrange dates.

Details of the gym can be found here:

https://www.powering-through.com/

Funding method

Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made by 6th October 2026 at 11:49am