Newsletter 

Welcome to the Autumn 2021 edition of our eNewsletter. 

Keep up to date with what’s going on by checking out Club News on  

the website: www.runnymedeswimmingclub.com

We are pleased to announce a return to competitive swimming with our first gala planned Saturday 25th September at Basildon Swimming Club. The gala is open to all swimmers aged 9 and over. Entries should  be handed to Sue Peake or placed in the post box in the club room by Friday 10th September at the latest. 

We are also preparing entries for Essex Winter Champs 2021, details available on facebook and in the club  room. This gala is open to swimmers aged 9 and over who have met the qualifying times. Swimmers who  wish to take part and do not have times recorded should speak to Steve / Julia. Entries should be handed  to Sue Peake or placed in the post box in the club room by Friday 17th September at the latest. 

Swimmers who wish to compete during 2021 will need to upgrade Swim England membership. Due to  Covid restrictions, the club registered all swimmers as Category 1 this year. In order for your swimmer to  enter galas we will need to upgrade them to Category 2. There is an additional fee to pay to Swim England  to do so of £19.55 for each swimmer. 

If you have not already done so, please make a payment of £19.55 by bank transfer to enable us to get  membership upgraded. 

Runnymede Swimming Club 

Account Number: 50769487 

Sort Code: 20 70 93

The coaches are pleased to welcome all of our new swimmers to the various squads and welcome the  return of existing swimmers from the summer break. 

This Autumn we are hopeful for an uninterrupted season with a return to competitive swimming and  hopefully no further Covid lockdowns. This provides all our swimmers the opportunity to focus on their  swimming and we look forward to seeing the resulting improvements in performance. As always,  swimmers are reminded of the need to attend training sessions wherever possible.

Swim school lessons start from Saturday 11th September at The Basildon Lower Academy Runnymede  Pool and 13th September at The Appleton School Pool. 

Places are extremely limited with a waiting list operating for new starters.

We are pleased to advise that the club room is back open for parents to come and watch each swimming  session. Parents are strongly encouraged to attend training sessions and support the swimmers. We would  like to remind parents that swimmers are your responsibility when attending sessions – there will no  longer be volunteers overseeing the younger swimmer’s entry and exit from the centre. 

To manage the flow of swimmers in and out of the pool, the following arrangements remain in place.  

1) swimmers should arrive no more than 5 minutes before your session and wait outside until called into  the building 

2) parents please be sure the session is going ahead and there is someone taking responsibility for your  child before you leave 

3) swimmers should enter and exit via the reception. Swimmers are no longer required to exit via the club  room. 

4) whilst there is no legal requirement for masks to be worn, swimmers and parents are encouraged to  continue wearing masks inside the building to protect yourselves and those around you.  

5) arrive swim ready no access to changing rooms before your session 

6) please wear poolside footwear and not outdoor shoes  

7) swimmers will leave the pool via the changing rooms, changing quickly to avoid others waiting in  communal areas.

With the removal of Covid restrictions, the club now has the ability to run at full capacity and we are keen  to increase membership back to pre-Covid levels. 

Please encourage friends and family to consider joining Runnymede. Anyone wishing to book a trial should  email trials@runnymedeswimmingclub.com

Don’t forget Runnymede now has an Instagram page. This is an open page that swimmer, parents and the  general public can follow.  

Please start following and share with others. We currently have 77 followers – it would be great to get new  and old members following and sharing stories about the club!

@runnymedsc

One of our Masters, Kieran Neary, is running the London Marathon on Sunday 3 October to raise money for  Mencap. Please support Kieran and donate here: 

https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser 

display/showROFundraiserPage?userUrl=kieran.neary&pageUrl=2 

A member of the club has also requested donations of swimming costumes (boys and girls) that have been  outgrown for a local primary school. If you have any donations please provide to a member of the  committee or pass to Claire Morrell.

The time has come for renewal of the annual Runnymede membership. This costs £35 per swimmer (or  £20 for students over the age of 16). Membership fees should be paid within the month of September, via bank transfer. 

As a reminder, monthly fees remain unchanged as: 

Silver – £33.50 

Gold – £40.50 

Junior – £46.50  

Senior – £60.50 

Club – £33.50 

Swim Ability Group 1 – £21.50 

Swim Ability Group 2 – £26.50 

Swim Ability Group 3 – £31.50

Congratulations to Verity Seymour who has gained her level 1 Swimming Assistant Teachers qualification and also to Jules McCracken, Isabel Morley, Alex Savijn Ford and Blake Bearwish who have gained their  Pool Lifeguard qualification.

We are planning to open the club shop soon so people can order new kit and view products in the club  room. This will include our newly designed swimming hats from Swimzi. We are currently looking for  volunteers to help run the shop so if anyone is interested, please let Carolyn Read know. 

Please note that all payments for merchandise bought through the club shop should be made via bank  transfer as we will no longer be accepting cash or cheque. 

We are also planning to be able to offer for sale RSC sliders in club colours incorporating the club’s logo.  We are currently liaising with a supplier and have canvassed the swimmers already on the potential  designs with an overwhelming favourite. Now we have returned to the club room, we will arrange for  some samples to be made available so you can review and order. The more pairs we sell, the cheaper the  product, so we will be having to take pre-orders which will then dictate the price. 

The Club’s AGM will held in September / October (venue to be confirmed). More than ever the club needs  the support of everyone. We would remind you the club is run by volunteers and we would appreciate  your support in attending this event.