Welcome to the London Swimming News - if you are receiving this for the first time we hope that this weekly selection of news from us will inform, entertain and keep you in touch with what is happening across the capital in aquatics.

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Do you want to improve your technique? Or improve the quality of your sessions?
London Swimming are offering a range of master classes which are between 3-5 hours in length these will cover a mix of technical elements. Dates are 20, 21, & 22 February 2009 St. Pauls School, London, SW13 9JT, further details and booking at http://www.londonswimming.org/news/article/display/405

 

Masters - Long Course Masters will be held at K2, Crawley, 24th & 25th January 2009. Details from http://www.kcswimmingclub.org.uk/events.htm

This week Colin Brown (RD) had an excellent meeting with the Learning & Skills Council about investing in the Aquatics Industry, attended the Barking & Dagenham 'Get Wet Swim for Free' steering group meeting which has really moved forward under the leadership of Bastien Wallace. Colin also had productive meetings in Ealing and Bromley about developing Aquatic and Facility strategies.

Next week: Colin will be preparing information for our joint conference in the new year with London Councils to brief local authorities and pool operators on the 'free swimming' and 'aquatic strategy' agendas http://www.londonswimming.org/news/article/display/451. Colin will also be attending the final day of his leadership course in Loughborough as well as shadowing Stephen Hammond MP as part of his parliamentary sports fellowship. The week will end with London Swimming's Special Council Meeting http://www.londonswimming.org/news/article/display/449

 

Colin will then be on annual leave until December 22nd

 

 

This week Mark Griggs (EO) attended a Pro-active Central Workforce Development Meeting on the volunteer workforce and the funding opportunities around the V programme were discussed.

For more information on courses, dates and venues, to download booking forms, or details of funding opportunities please visit www.londonswimming.org

 

This week Jo Calvino (Aquatic Programme Development Co-ordinator) has spent time focusing on the Jo Jackson master class this weekend and the final details, whilst also clearing any outstanding details from the Cassie Patten Master Class last weekend, this session was a great success and we hope to repeat this with Jo Jackson.

Jo met with some physio's to discuss the Sports Science packages we are looking to offer clubs in the New Year and has also started to look at dates for future Master Classes in 2009.  She has also spent time putting together a Young Volunteers Package, to get more young volunteers involved but is also looking for some parents, club members or coaches to train as tutor's for the Young Aquatic Organisers Award.  If you have any members of your club or committee that are interested please contact Jo (joanna.calvino@swimming.org) 

Jo is away next week competing at the Commonwealth Championships in Cyprus and will return on December 9th 

 

This week Janna Callan (RDO) is still without a phone, but has been promised that it will be delivered by the end of next week.  Janna met with Nick Ibrahim and Michelle Weltman to discuss Disability Swimming in London moving forward in 2009.  Janna is now looking to book a venue for the Championship in either early July or September.

Next week Janna will be working on the Host Borough Report and up-dating the statistics from last year. 

 

This week Annabel Kehoe (EDS – Islington) began her week in Manchester where she was a guest speaker at Swim NorthWest conference. Annabel was there with Craig McIntyre who is the general manager of Highbury Pool & Leisure Centre, and they co-presented a seminar on the activities that have been implemented to create and retain swimming customers. Annabel also worked on a January edition of Motivation magazine that will go out to Islington households in the New Year.

Next week Annabel will be editing the magazine, finalising the logistics of running another adult swimming lessons offer and meeting with Mark Griggs to plan 2009 education schedule.

 

This week Jo Melchior (EDS – Lewisham) has been on an Equity & Diversity Workshop looking at knowledge of current legislation, and the launch of a “toolkit” for clubs, organisations and authorities. This was an interesting day and was a good opportunity to network with other sporting and health professionals. Jo also hosted a training day for team members of the local leisure operators where Age Concern delivered a workshop called “Through Other’s Eyes”. This was a fascinating insight into the aging process and included an audit of the venue with the participants wearing googles, ear plugs, gloves, hand and leg weights to mimic conditions typically associated with older people.

 

This week Jemma Konuralp (Swim21 Quality coordinator) has undertaken the first set of interviews with Survive and Save in respect of their application to re-accredit. She has also met with Saxon Crown SC in respect of obtaining further levels of swim21 accreditation and Clissold in respect of being assessed for their swim21 accreditation. Next week she is meeting with Bethnal Green Sharks regarding their re-accreditation.

 

This week Bastien Wallace - Project Manager (Barking & Dagenham) had a really successful steering group meeting where the recast budget, draft training plan, communications plan, status report and update on the upcoming Adult & Child classes were all well received.  Bastien also learnt about the Well London initiative in Dagenham where adults living right next to Dagenham Pool have specifically identified that they would like to learn to swim and Bastien will continue working towards the launch of Adult & Child Classes.