From all of us here at the Swim England East Region, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

As the festive season approaches, Swim England East Region extends warm wishes for a Merry Christmas to all our swimmers, coaches, volunteers, and supporters. This time of year offers a wonderful opportunity to reflect on the achievements and milestones we've reached together over the past year. From record-breaking swims to successful training camps, the dedication and passion displayed by our community has truly been inspiring.

Christmas is not just a time for celebration, but also an occasion to give thanks. We are incredibly grateful for the hard work of our coaches and the unwavering support of families, which have played a crucial role in nurturing talent and promoting a love for swimming across the East Region. Your commitment and enthusiasm fuel our mission to develop the sport and create a vibrant and inclusive environment for all.

As we look forward to the New Year, let us carry the spirit of togetherness and camaraderie into our training sessions and competitions. May this holiday season be filled with joy, laughter, and the warmth of family and friends. We hope you take this time to relax and recharge, ready to make waves in the New Year! From all of us at Swim England East Region, we wish you a Merry Christmas and a happy, healthy, and successful New Year ahead!

East Region and National Office Festive Closures 

Please note that between the 23nd of December 2024 and the 2nd of January 2025, the Swim England East Region offices will be closed. During this period the Swim England Head Office in Loughborough will also be closed. 

Christmas & New Year Safeguarding & Welfare Cover

Should you have a Safeguarding or Welfare concern or wish to seek advice, there will be a duty officer In the SE Safeguarding team monitoring reporting over the festive period on normal working days Monday to Friday but not Bank holidays.

Please contact The Swim England Safeguarding Team at safeguarding@swimming.org or on 01509 640700 option 1 then option 3.

Out of hours please consider, where appropriate contacting the Police via 101 or 999 in an emergency, or your local Multi Agency Safeguarding hub (MASH or the NSPCC helpline on 0808 800 5000

Masters Swimming Manager Required 

The Region is looking for a new volunteer for the role of Masters Swimming Leadership Group Manager

You would chair the group meetings scheduled throughout the year as required.The group consists of representatives from each of the six East Region counties and will be supported by a member of the Regional Board and the region’s staff.

You would manage the Group’s organisation of our Masters Championships, Masters Inter County Competitions and draft and monitor budget and development plans for the region assisted by the region’s staff. You would implement development plans and provide news articles for our website and social media.

Please use the link below for more information

Governance

Get support in your committee role by attending one of Swim England role-specific workshops. 

Chair Information session

Friday 13 Dec 12:00, Friday 10 Jan 12:00 or Tuesday 21 January 18.30

Welfare Officer session

Monday 9 December 18:00 or Monday 13th January - 18.00

The sessions for the Chairman and Welfare officer are mandatory for the role. If you have already attended a session this year, there's no need to attend again however, it is recommend attending a session every 12-18 months.

East Region Welfare

Reporting of low-level welfare concerns

The spreadsheet for reporting low-level welfare concerns was emailed to all club Welfare Officers in November. If you have not received this please email eastwelfare@swimming.org

The National Welfare officers have now clarified the reporting process. Please note this only applies to clubs NOT on the Club Portal trial.

• Please use the spreadsheet as a template for recording low-level welfare concerns at your club.
• Once your investigations are complete please copy and paste the entry and send via your club welfare email address, please ensure the title states “Low-level Welfare concern (club name) and the email is signed with your name.
• Send to safeguarding@swimming.org

NEW free online Swim England Foundation Safeguarding for Young People

This eLearning has been designed to give young people under the age of 18 a basic understanding of safeguarding, welfare and best practice. It is aimed at young volunteers or members who don’t have a designated role at the club that requires a DBS check, but want to improve their understanding of the topic.

The eLearning will give you an understanding of why safeguarding is important, key documents and ways to keep yourself safe, how to recognise and report behaviour that is not acceptable and where you can find additional support. The course can be done at your own pace and you can be stopped and returned to it at any time.

The Foundation Safeguarding course does not replace the need for the Full Swim England Safeguarding in Aquatics course if you are currently volunteering or being paid in a role that requires a DBS.

Swim England to produce a range of female health resources

A range of new educational resources focusing on female health are being developed by Swim England.

The resources are being produced to support females at all levels and ages to continue to enjoy the water.



Some of the initial topics that will be covered will include:

• The menstrual cycle
• Female nutrition
• Pelvic floor
• Contraception
• Menopause

The work is being led by Swim England’s sports science and medicine manager, Diane Elliot, who has been working with relevant practitioners and experts on each resource.

Craig Robertson, Swim England sports scientist, has helped to produce the information around the menstrual cycle while Josh Dyson, Swim England performance nutritionist, has provided specific female nutrition information.

Physiotherapist for Swim England, Lisa Sharratt, has worked on the pelvic floor resource while the subject of menopause has been covered by specialist, Lucy Thompson.

For the topic of contraception, the national governing body has collaborated with sport and exercise medicine consultant and the chief medical officer for Aquatics GB, Dr Kate Jordan.

A range of further topics will be covered going forward and will all be available in the new female health section on the Swim England website.

Important resources

Speaking on the work Elliot said: “Swim England is committed to ensuring everyone feels comfortable getting in the water and we are creating these resources to help these efforts.

“Some of these topics can be sensitive areas and can often stop women from taking part in aquatics or any kind of physical activity, which shouldn’t be the case.

Welfare Contacts

Regional Welfare Officer – Fran fran.vesztrocy@swimming.org or eastwelfare@swimming.org

SE DBS – DBS@swimming.org

SE Safeguarding – safeguarding@swimming.org

Raising a concern with SE Safeguarding - https://www.swimming.org/swimengland/how-raise-concern-complaint/

Wavepower - https://www.swimming.org/swimengland/wavepower-child-safeguarding-for-clubs/

SE Inclusion Hub - https://www.swimming.org/swimengland/inclusion/

Artistic Swimming, Assistant Chief Recorder course

Swim England will be hosting a new course , The Assistant Chief Recorder course. This course is open to those with a National Scorer qualification and will be hosted online on 15^th and 21^st January. To express interest in the course please complete the form on the link below:

Qualifications 

East Region-Based Qualifications:

• 12526 Swim England Assistant Swimming Coach 06/01/2025 Inspire: Luton
• 12451 Swim England Swimming Coach 11/01/2025 John Warner Sports Centre
• 12426 Swim England Swimming Coach 15/01/2025 Alive St James
• 13047 Swim England Assistant Artistic Swimming Coach 04/02/2025 - Hatfield Swim Centre
• 12813 Swim England Assistant Swimming Coach 25/02/2025 - Tiddenfoot Leisure Centre

James Salmon

Regional Manager

james.salmon@swimming.org

Jo Stalley

Regional Operations Officer

jo.stalley@swimming.org

Fran Vesztrocy

Regional Welfare Officer

fran.vesztrocy@swimming.org

Emma Winter

Regional Administrator

emma.winter@swimming.org

General Enquiries

east@swimming.org

+44 (0) 7583 694233

Regional Welfare & Safeguarding

eastwelfare@swimming.org

01509 640378