As we enter a fourth weekend of national lockdown, can we please remind you that the Swim England website has a range of regularly updated information to support clubs and members during these unprecedented times. Dorset County ASA is also still working on behalf of our clubs and we have therefore compiled the following information to answer some of the questions and concerns of our swimming community.
County Management
Dorset County ASA is managed for day-to-day matters by its Executive Officers, who are Chairman Ray Honeybun, Treasurer Gerry Griffin and Secretary Di Gibbs. All other decisions normally taken by Dorset County Executive, which has now been cancelled for the foreseeable future, have become the responsibility of an Emergency Committee invoked to deal with time-sensitive and/or specific issues as appropriate.
The Emergency Committee comprises the DCASA Principal Officers (President Les Jessop and the three previously mentioned Executive Officers), together with Bob Holman and Andy Smart (both Emergency sub-committee) and Tony Mullins (Rules).
The Dorset County ASA Emergency Committee met virtually on 7 April to consider time-sensitive issues resulting from cancellation of the Dorset County Executive on 2 April 2020, and future meetings of the Emergency Committee will be held ad hoc as often as needed. Please note:
Annual General MeetingThe 2020 AGM due to be held on Thursday 4 June has been rescheduled provisionally to Thursday 1 October.
President Until such time as an AGM and the election of post holders can take place, the current President Les Jessop will continue in the role.
Dorset County ASA Constitution Constitutional changes compliant to Swim England August 2018 and issues relevant to the continued operation of county business, affiliation of organisations, the electoral process and the election of a President/President Elect were ratified.
Regional Forums
The SWR recently held a trial meeting for Club Chairmen and plans to hold further online meetings for both Chairmen and Coaches, details of which will be forwarded to clubs when known. Alternatively, clubs and coaches can contact swimsouthwest@swimming.org direct.
Stronger Affiliation
The Stronger Affiliation process is expected to progress as planned and, as far as we are aware, with no concession being made for the freeze in club activity. We have written to Swim England’s CEO for clarification (and regarding SwimMark accreditation) but, until any specific directive or guidance is issued, clubs are recommended to continue to work towards ensuring the necessary documentation is in place to support Stronger Affiliation requirements.
The deadline for submissions for clubs that are not SwimMark accredited is 1 December 2020, and the SWR has set a deadline of 16 November to be able to check those submissions before the final date. The penalty for non-submission is suspension. Clubs can view the full guidelines for Stronger Affiliation at www.swimming.org/swimengland/stronger-affiliation-process.
Main issues to address for Stronger Affiliation are club constitutions, Safeguarding and Time to Listen. Please remember that the Teachers & Coaches Register MUST be completed and those listed be DBS checked.
Club Constitutions
Clubs constitutions MUST now be compliant to the Swim England August 2018 Model Constitution, which can be viewed at www.swimming.org/swimengland/becoming-a-members-club. Most, but not all, Dorset Clubs now fulfil that requirement, but for advice or to submit an updated constitution please contact Di Gibbs dorsetasa@gmail.com.
SwimMark accreditation
No concession to the lockdown has yet been made for the SwimMark accreditation process, therefore clubs requiring an annual health check should progress those submissions as normal. Penalty for missing the annual health check deadline is loss of accreditation (ie, having to start again for reaccreditation).
Safeguarding
The full face-to-face Safeguarding Course has been replaced by UK Coaching with a virtual classroom style workshop, and the SWR has already organised several which have proved popular. The course is FOC and the booking form can be accessed at www.swimwest.org.uk/news/article/regional-safeguarding-courses. Note that those who book but don’t attend will be fined £20! Additional dates are due to be added to the programme. Those who have already done a full Safeguarding Course but need to renew can do so online at www.ukcoaching.org/courses/learn-at-home/sgp
Time to Listen
The SWR has scheduled a Time to Listen course for 13 June 2020 but, as this course usually cannot be taken online, it is uncertain whether it can go ahead. However, provided your club welfare officer has attended an approved Safeguarding course, allowance will be made for 12 months to attend a TTL course. Any club welfare officer who requires a TTL course should contact Jackie Hilleard jackiehilleard@gmail.com.
England Programmes County Pathway
Following Swim England guidance, the first two County Pathway camps (19 April and 28 June) have been cancelled and it is hoped that we can go ahead with the camp planned for 20 September 2020. Consideration will be given to rescheduling the additional two camps later in the year or even into 2021, rather than cancellation so that this year’s 11-year age group does not miss out on the programme altogether.
County Competitions
All county events have been put on hold up to 1 September 2020. Swim England guidelines will determine when our competition programme can recommence, but consideration will be given to rescheduling as many cancelled county events as possible. Those events affected are the Dorset Novice Swimming League R3, Dorset Graded Meet, Dorset Clubs Relay Gala, and Dorset Synchronised Swimming Championships. The 2020 Dorset Development Competition is scheduled for 3-4 October, but this event may have to be moved later in the calendar.
Licensing of events
Depending on when clubs and counties can reconvene, licensing guidelines may be reviewed by the national body to prevent congestion in the competition calendar. Precise details are not known at present but, if issued by our RLO, the DCASA Emergency Committee will review agreed dates and in-county licensed events in line with those guidelines and to ensure that all clubs can offer their swimmers the opportunity to achieve Consideration Times for the 2021 County Championships in a way that best suits that club and its finances.
Support
It has been inspiring to see how clubs, coaches and swimmers are keeping in touch to motivate each other and keep fit. Whether it has been group baking or burpees, these imaginative ideas are playing an important role in supporting our extended swimming family. We are still working on behalf of our clubs, here to support you whenever we can, and can be contacted either through the Dorset County ASA website or at dorsetasa@gmail.com. We cannot guarantee to have a solution to every problem but will do our absolute best to assist.
Finally, please follow the guidelines – stay home and stay safe. We look forward to seeing you all again as soon as possible.
Swim England has created a new COVID-19 Club Support Toolkit to help its affiliated clubs get through the coronavirus pandemic. The guidance includes a series of case studies on how other clubs have coped, advice on funding opportunities plus information for any employees or self-employed workers. There is also a handy budget planner to allow clubs to work out their financial position during the coming months.
Jon Keating, Swim England Club Development Director, said the toolkit had been created following a request from clubs for more guidance and support. He said, “We’re aware that this is a difficult period for our clubs as pools are shut indefinitely and members have nowhere to train, apart from at home. It’s important that our clubs know we are still here to support them and we’ve been listening to their concerns. There are a number of resources available and we’ve compiled them all together in this toolkit and we hope clubs find the information useful in these challenging times. We want to see all our affiliated clubs able to return to the water when that time arises and continue to provide the excellent service they offer to members.” A series of frequently asked questions about the coronavirus outbreak compiled by Swim England is also available.
Swim England has unveiled a four-point plan to ensure all its disciplines, clubs, members and workforce are ready to return to action when the coronavirus restrictions are lifted. While the country remains in lockdown in a bid to combat the spread of COVID-19, preparations are being put in place by the recognised national governing body for when pools are open again and events can be held. In a new podcast produced by Anything But Footy, which can be downloaded now, the main elements of the strategy are revealed.
The key objectives focus on:
Clubs and a club structure able to restart and sustain in a different environment
A workforce (paid and voluntary) in place ready to deliver
Engaged participants wanting to come back
An events structure to come back to.
George Wood, Swim England Sport Development Director, told the podcast: “Our mission is to make sure our sports are ready to go when the coronavirus restrictions are lifted and that means four key things. “Firstly, clubs and a clubs structure that are able to restart and sustain in a different environment. A workforce, both our paid and voluntary workforce, that are in place and ready to deliver again as they are crucial to all of our sports. We need to have engaged participants who want to come back to the sport and finally an events structure that they can come back into and take part in. Those are our four key areas of work – clubs, workforce, participants and events.”
George goes into further detail on the work Swim England is carrying out to help clubs in terms of funding and governance, the education and training of the workforce, how participants and coaches are kept activated and motivated and how the events task force are effectively planning a structured return to competition.
He added: “We understand that it’s an incredibly tough time for everyone. For a lot of people involved in our clubs, they will have other worries and concerns going on over and above swimming and our aquatic sports. We really get that but, at the same time, we want to make sure that we have a great sport ready to come back to. Clearly there is going to have to be some compromise, clearly there is going to be some challenges with it but working together we can make sure we get all of our great aquatic sports back in a place where we are ready to go – and ready to get a load of athletes in the water and enjoying themselves again.”
The podcast also features interviews with Swim England chief executive Jane Nickerson and Head of Talent Swimming Grant Robins. Jane said: “The overall message to all our members and all our partners and everyone we work with is stay home, stay safe and let’s get through this as quickly as we can. Let the key workers do their job and then we will be back in the pool doing all the things we love sooner rather than later. We are absolutely there for all our members. We’ll facilitate everything we can. We want to keep our whole swimming family together, working as one team in this and come out fitter and stronger than ever before.” Grant added: “It’s a great sport and we are missing it terribly and I’m sure that’s not as much as our actual participants because that’s what they do on a daily basis. We are there to try and keep people fit and healthy and ready to go when we can.”
Swim England chief executive Jane Nickerson has welcomed a new package to help clubs that are struggling financially due to the coronavirus pandemic. Sport England has announced £195 million is being made available to help the sport and physical activity sector through the current crisis. It includes a £20 million Community Emergency Fund, which will be opened immediately for clubs and community organisations to bid for grants of between £300 and £10,000.
Jane Nickerson, Swim England chief executive, said: “We’re well aware of the impact the coronavirus outbreak is having on some of our clubs across the country. It’s fantastic to see Sport England launch this Community Emergency Fund to help clubs across all sports that are struggling the most in this difficult time. We’d encourage our swimming clubs to carefully look at this criteria and see if this financial package can assist those of you most in need through this crisis. These are worrying times for our clubs but we will get through this unprecedented situation and I’d like to thank Sport England for delivering this financial support. There are also plenty of other government funding sources that could be a huge help to our clubs as well and we’d urge them to investigate if these are a viable option. We are also exploring other opportunities to support swimming clubs financially and hope to announce further details in the near future.”
As well as the Community Emergency Fund, Sport England has also announced:
A £5 million pot for existing partners to bid into if they’re facing specific financial difficulty
An additional £55 million to support the sport and physical activity sector during the ongoing period of restrictions, to fund new and innovative ways to keep people active
And £115 million rollover of current funding into 2021-22 to give long-term certainty to more than 100 well-established partners who play a vital role in the delivery of sport and physical activity in England.
Tim Hollingsworth, Sport England chief executive, said he “hoped the package would help the sector get through these extremely challenging times. Sporting events are being cancelled, gyms and leisure centres are closed, clubs and community groups are not operating, and children and young people are all at home. This is impacting the sector financially in a significant way, although it is heartening to see huge amounts of innovation and agility, with many operators getting classes online in a matter of days to enable home workouts for example. As the body responsible for the growth of sport and physical activity at a grassroots level, we have an important role to play both in ensuring that we support those with short-term cashflow concerns and immediate loss of income, as well as those facing medium and long-term survival challenges and financial difficulties. We want the sector not just to come through this crisis but to be in a position to thrive again in the future and this package will ease the pressure on a huge number of the organisations who are central to that.”
Oliver Dowden, Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport, said everything is being done to support the sport sector and keep Britain active through these challenging times. “This multi-million-pound package of public funding will not only help local sports clubs facing financial concerns but also encourage people to stay fit at home. When it is safe to do so, we want our brilliant community sport organisations to bounce back and we will work alongside Sport England and others to make that happen.”
Swim England coronavirus guidance is being regularly updated to reflect the latest advice from gov.uk, World Health Organisation (WHO), and Public Health England (PHE) and government guidelines are being followed. Government advice as to the risk of coronavirus, which has been raised to HIGH in the UK. This allows the government to plan for all eventualities. Swim England is monitoring the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak and its impact, and doing all it can to make safe and reassure customers and workforce.
Coronavirus FAQs
Click or tap one of the topics below to head straight to those FAQs. Then click or tap the panels to reveal the answer to each question.
We can confirm our latest plans to deal with the challenges presented by Coronavirus (COVID-19), which includes arrangements for moving courses online where possible, and a move to staff working from home. Longer-term plans are being developed.
In all our planning we have been guided by two principles – firstly the need to minimise the impact and risk to our staff, clubs, lesson providers and learners, and secondly the requirement to sustain essential operations while minimising the need for staff to travel.
This is clearly a concerning time for our community and beyond. We are in regular contact with staff to offer advice and support and ask everyone to check for new information on this FAQ site.
We will continue to evolve our plans as the situation changes. We’re ensuring that as we develop these plans, we are doing everything possible to support customers and staff and we will continue to communicate and support to the best of our ability during this period of significant national disruption.
Mind has produced some useful guidance surrounding COVID-19 and well-being.
For information concerning the Institute of Swimming visit their website at swimming.org/ios.
Questions for clubs
The health and well-being of everyone is our primary focus. This is a fast-changing situation and we will update the guidance when necessary. A number of members have expressed concern that we originally advised clubs to continue training as schools were open and have now changed that advice. The change followed the stronger advice from Government to avoid non-essential activities, take on greater social responsibility and ensure social distancing.
Having further reviewed the latest guidance, it is Swim England’s interpretation that club activity falls into the ‘public gathering’ category and therefore we strongly advise clubs to consider cancelling or postponing activity – including events. All competitions organised by the national governing body that are scheduled to be held between now and the end of May have been called off.
Yes, all activity would include club training.
Yes, insurance will still be valid unless Swim England (the National Governing Body) state that you cannot continue, or there is a change in Government guidance banning the activity. Clubs need to prepare a risk assessment and risk management plan. Clubs must consider the latest Government advice that has been released and keep up-to-date with any changes in the Government’s position. All clubs should record their decisions, whether they are proceeding or not.
Swim England’s affiliated clubs could find themselves at risk of not being correctly insured if the national governing body had ordered them to stop activities and they had then continued. However, if clubs were advised of the latest guidance and then carried out appropriate risk assessments on whether it was still safe to take part in aquatic activities, they would still be covered. You can read our full statement on this issue on our news pages.
We will continue to keep clubs informed via our website FAQs and social media channels as the situation evolves. Our Club Development Officers and all of Swim England staff are working, and remain contactable for direct support. We will be communicating directly with clubs to better understand the challenges being faced and how we can best shape our support (see next FAQ below). We are also in regular discussion with Sport England, on how we protect community sports clubs. As the government position on Coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to evolve we will start to gather more answers. Swim England want to be able to protect our membership, our clubs and our sports and coaches are an integral part of that.
We are very keen to support our clubs and to make it clear to our funders, the Government and partners as to the impact of the current situation. It’s emerging so fast that no-one has all of the answers; however, we are committed to understanding the situation so that we can respond in the most effective way to ensure the long-term health of our sport. To that end, there are two things that you can do to support this.
how the Coronavirus (COVID-19) situation is affecting your club
the type of support that you would find most beneficial.
We will use this information to further develop these FAQs. We cannot guarantee to be able to resolve all of the issues, but the more information we have, the better we can shape our services and lobby the Government, influence our funders and work with our partners to find solutions.
2. If you would like to share this information directly with Sport England as well, they have requested that sports organisations email coronavirus@sportengland.org to let them know this information too. Read more about this on Sport England’s website.
Clubs must check the contracts they have in place with their coaching staff. We would encourage where possible an agreement to be made around payment with coaches during this difficult time. In doing so clubs should consider how best to maintain finances in conjunction with any changes of expenditure. Swim England is supporting lobbying efforts to encourage the government to provide support for self-employed individuals affected by Coronavirus (COVID-19).
There may be some cover on a case-by-case basis. Clubs need to contact Howdens T: 0121 698 8000. Swim England continues to lobby the government alongside partners from the sporting sector to press for additional support. Do also keep checking the government website for details of the support available.
Due to the unprecedented times we currently find ourselves in, we appreciate you have questions in relation to your insurance cover. We have asked our Insurance partner Howden to provide further clarity and guidance which we will share with you as soon as possible
This will be down to each club’s individual financial circumstances. If there is still expenditure to cover then this needs to be communicated to members/parents and a reduced fee applied if appropriate. Regular communication is key.
Every club and facility will have a different relationship, so it ultimately depends on the contract the club has with the provider. We would encourage clubs to have discussions with their facility providers and check the terms and conditions of the hire agreement that they have.
Swim England is having regular conversations with pool operators on the impact of Coronavirus (COVID-19) to all pool users, including our clubs.
Swim England has cancelled a number of events due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The decision has been taken following the Government’s announcement to implement increased social distancing, avoid crowds gathering and carrying out any unnecessary travel. All competitions organised by Swim England, the National Governing Body that were scheduled to be held between now and the end of May have been called off. Read more about this on our news pages.
Working on the assumption that it is viable for the 2020 British Summer Championships and 2020 Home Nation Summer Meets to take place, we will be inviting athletes on the basis of retrospective long-course performances achieved in the period 1 July 2019 to 12 March 2020. No performance after this date will be considered. This is the case even if some meets start to take place in May. For para-swimmers, the qualification process will remain the same. For more information visit our news story about the Summer Meet qualification window.
Swim England will suspend talent activities across all disciplines with immediate effect, having already announced the decision to cancel all national events until the end of May. This will include all international and domestic camps, competitions and related activities such as coach conferences across all aquatic sports. British Swimming, which has also cancelled and postponed a number of events, is speaking to its elite athletes regarding training in the forthcoming weeks.
Questions relating to the Institute of Swimming training
The majority of teams will be working remotely during this period and will be available to contact through the usual channels. We will continue to keep our networks updated.
Due to the unprecedented times we currently find ourselves in, we appreciate you have questions in relation to your insurance cover. We have asked our Insurance partner Howden to provide further clarity and guidance which we will share with you as soon as possible.
Unfortunately, the loss of income cover is only applicable to pool closures and the personal accident cover is for accidents sustained when working, not illnesses. As the situation is changing rapidly, keep up to date with government guidance and if your pool closes then you can contact Howden on 0121 698 8040. They will review the reason for the pool closure and request any relevant information needed to consider a claim. Due to office closures, Howden staff are currently working from home. They are still taking calls but you may need to leave a message and they will call you back. Find contact details for Howden on their website. Do also keep checking the government website for details of the support available.
We are reviewing our courses and the Government’s guidance every day and are aiming to give everyone at least seven days’ notice if we have to postpone the face-to-face elements of their course. It is really important to us that anyone in this situation has the opportunity to start their training. To enable this we are offering online training to those booked on a course that has a blended learning option available. This will give customers the opportunity to work through the theoretical elements of their course online at home, at their own pace, over the coming weeks and months. Customers will then be able to choose a face to face or blended learning course in the future to complete the rest of their training and qualification. Find out more about changes on the Institute of Swimming website.
Training and qualifications questions
Where regional Swim England teams are delivering courses, delegates will be contacted directly. We will look to move those sessions online wherever possible. We are aware that there are a small number of Approved Training Centres who are moving the theoretical elements of their courses online – and planning to deliver the poolside elements in the future. Our advice is for learners to contact their Approved Training Centre directly, through the normal channels.
We will be moving some upcoming CPD courses with no pool-based activities to webinars, so teachers can continue their personal development. A webinar is an interactive online seminar that is led by the tutor and allows participants in different locations to be guided through the course content, hear the presenter, ask questions and be involved in group text discussions. We are aiming to give everyone at least seven days’ notice if their CPD is moving online. We will also be creating additional webinars over the coming weeks, so teachers are able to keep engaged with the swimming community during a time where we may face isolation and separation. The 2020 Teaching and Education Conference and Awards event has been postponed from 30 November until spring 2021. Details to be confirmed later this year. Any nominations received for the Awards up to now will be stored and included in our shortlisting process.
Questions for swimming teachers, swim schools and pool operators
In recognition of the likely impact of Coronavirus (COVID-19), the Budget introduced temporary 100% business rates relief for the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors – including gyms and sports clubs – for 2020/21 for businesses with certain rateable values. In addition, the Budget provided that organisations eligible for Small Business Rate Relief would receive a £3,000 grant.
The Chancellor’s speech on 17 March extended this temporary 100% business rates relief to all businesses in these sectors, regardless of their rateable value. This means all businesses in the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors will receive 100% business rates relief for 2020/21. In addition to rates relief, retail, hospitality and leisure businesses with a rateable value of between £15,000 and £51,000 will be provided with a grant of £25,000.
Small businesses eligible for Small Businesses Rates Relief or Rural Relief will be provided with a one-off grant of £10,000. Businesses eligible for the grant will be contacted by their local authority, funding is due to be provided to local authorities in early April. At present we are seeking clarification on whether Community Amateur Sports Clubs and charities are eligible for this support and we will provide a further update when we know more.
Swim England, in partnership with other bodies in the sport and leisure sector, is pressing the government for more financial support for self-employed individuals working in the sector who will be impacted by Coronavirus (COVID-19). You can keep up-to-date with Government updates for employers and businesses on the UK Government website.
Swim schools should also make an informed decision on future lessons based on the current information from the Government and keep up-to-date with the guidance on our news pages.
This is a fluid situation, parents should check with their local facility and follow government guidance at all times.
Dear Dorset Clubs and Club members
