Backwell Swimming Club is a not for profit club which has been developing swimmers since 1974. We take great pride in being 100% volunteer based. We also take great pride in our members past, present and future – they start with us from the age of 5, and we see them come up through the ranks to senior level. We compete right up to national level, and we see some swimmers progress to triathlon, open water events and even cross-channel swimming. We love being part of their journey.
We feel very strongly that we don’t just develop athletes, we develop people.
Lockdown forced us to shut our home pool and now maintenance issues have prevented it re-opening until at least 2021. As a result, we are currently a swimming club without a swimming pool. That means that our coaches and swimmers are permanently on the road, as we battle to secure pool-time elsewhere.
So unlike other clubs, we’ve been hit with a real ‘triple whammy’ – increased hire costs, having to train at more distant pools and reduced swimmer numbers per session as a result of social distancing. Overall this has resulted in increased costs and reduced income for our club.
During the first lockdown we provided online land-conditioning training. Later we moved to providing group outdoor conditioning sessions. We did that free of charge and at the same time we suspended all monthly fees. We did that because we recognise the significant financial impact on families, and we know that if we do what is best for our families we also do what is best for our swimmers.
Backwell SC’s focus will always be on what is best for the swimmer. In competition and training we understand that attitude matters, and it’s important to us to role-model the supportive, inclusive attitudes we want to see from our squads.
We also need to look to the long-term. We understand the vital role that clubs like ours play in developing the swimming teachers, coaches, officials and lifeguards of the future. Our wider community benefits from that and we feel so proud when we see our swimmers go on to work and volunteer at other clubs and pools. We actively provide those development opportunities to our swimmers and their family members, and we support our swimmers in the non-swimming endeavours too. We are proud of what they achieve, whether in the pool or out of it.
We want to keep doing this, and we remain committed to keeping costs to our swimmers as low as possible. As things stand we haven’t yet passed on any of the additional costs we’ve incurred as a result of Covid-19.
During the second lockdown we also want to keep offering online land-based training. But as we do that, we also need to focus strongly on how to rebuild our club, in a healthy and safe manner.
Without the financial support of our community we cannot sustain ourselves indefinitely in a world where Covid-19 restrictions remain in place.
The overall objective is to rebuild the club in a safe manner, without the need for increased costs/demands upon parents.
The funds raised will therefore focus on achieving the following objectives….
1./ Funding equipment that supports keeping our swimmers safe during training, as recommended by Swim England.
2./ Ensuring that the extra costs of training at other Pools are not passed onto our parents.
3./ Funding alternative training means, where Pool time is not available.
If you recognise the value that volunteer-run grass-roots sports clubs like ours add to communities, the wider leisure sector and to the health, wellbeing and all-round development of the athletes we train, then we hope you’ll support us.
Your donations will help us to change the way we have to work thanks to Covid-19.
With the second lockdown beginning your support will ensure that we can provide online land training sessions for our swimmers.
When we are able to return to the pool your donations will help us rebuild our club, into a place where Swimmers can come to train, develop and be safe.
In a few short years the club will reach a major milestone – it’s 50th birthday. We need your help now to make sure that we are here to celebrate it, and in doing so celebrate the achievements of all our swimmers and volunteers over the years.
We’re not just asking for money for nothing, we’ve come up with pledge rewards so that we can say thank you for your help at what is a difficult time for us all.
Please don’t think that these rewards are only on offer to club members.
Some rewards, like the club branded bobble hat and hoodie will most likely appeal more to club members; however there are plenty of other options that will appeal to everybody. Given the timing of the second lockdown they might even solve some of your Christmas shopping dilemmas.
For as long as we’re able, we will keep adding new reward levels, so please keep checking our page.
