After about a year of paperwork, checks and countless emails to Swim England, we have been given the confirmation that we now have an affiliated club with Swim England!

Welcome White Cliffs Swimming Club!

What Is Affiliation?

Being an affiliated club of Swim England means we get support with training camps, insurance and other benefits. It also means we can book our swimmers into competitions with swimmers from other clubs across the country!

These competitions can be anything from the development galas for new swimmers up through county galas, regional galas, and national galas.

What Is White Cliffs Swimming Club?

This is the name we have chosen for our club. With its direct reference to the White Cliffs and the waves crashing against it, we feel it represents the area of Dover very well.

We have an Executive Committee (which is fancy words for the people who will help keep the club running smoothly and correctly) that consists of:

• Head Coach – Lee Shepherd
• Chairman – Ian Walsh
• Vice Chair – Rachel Walsh
• Welfare Officer – Mike Andrews
• Treasurer – Diane Danko
• Secretary – Gillian Shepherd

These people were selected because of their swimming knowledge and the skills they have obtained from their jobs.

Swim England ensures that clubs are ran this way to spread responsibility in order to keep improving the club. This is done through input coming from multiple people with multiple roles.

Will Any Of The Training Change?

All normal sessions, Learn to Compete and Speed Through Technique, will continue as normal. We are happy with the current set-up but may move things around and/or add more sessions when the need arises.

Membership / Extra Costs?

We will be charging an annual fee to become a member of White Cliffs Swimming Club, as Swim England require payment per member. We will also include a shirt and swim cap!

Prices have not yet been confirmed, as these are going to be discussed during our first Annual General Meeting on Friday 9th December!

There are additional costs that come with being a registered club which are competition entry fees. These fees will be unique to what the host club decides.

When Will Be Able To Compete?

Although we have completed the (boring!!) paperwork, we still have some extra (again boring) admin stuff to finalise. We are hoping to begin with small competitions in the new year!

Annual General Meeting (AGM)

All clubs need to have an Annual General Meeting, to re-elect or elect members of the committee. Normal meetings will be held to cover any official changes and go over the finances. We will also be using this time to explain our plans with the club moving forwards.

Our first AGM will be on Friday 9th December at The Duke of York’s Royal Military School. We are yet to confirm a time but we will send you an email as soon as it is. Keep this date free in your calendars as we will explain our future plans and answer any questions you may have.

We will be introducing a parent membership fee of £1 on arrival, which will allow you entry and to vote! Children are more than welcome to come along and will be free.

Can You Help Us?

As a club we will need assistance from parents to help with competitions etc. The first thing we will need are Officials, as most competitions ask for each club to provide a number of these to enter galas.

Any parents that would like to volunteer and help officiate competitions, can register their interest with Lee ([email protected]). We will then sign up and pay for the course.