Newark and Sherwood District Council Invests in Local Swimming Club
Posted on: Tuesday, September 16, 2025Newark and Sherwood District Council has provided funding to secure new competition level starting blocks for the main pool at Newark Sports and Fitness Centre which will enable Newark Swimming Club to further enhance its training environments.
This investment is part of the Council’s wider commitment to supporting grassroots sport, improving access to high-quality facilities, and helping residents, particularly young people, pursue pathways into higher level and hopefully professional sporting activity. By funding essential equipment like starting blocks, the District Council is ensuring that local sports enthusiast can train to national standards and compete with confidence.
Newark Swimming Club has seen exceptional success in recent years, with swimmers achieving regional and national accolades. The new starting blocks will help maintain and build upon this momentum, giving athletes the tools they need to reach their full potential.
Councillor Susan Crosby, Portfolio Holder for Health, Wellbeing and Leisure at Newark and Sherwood District Council, said: “We’re delighted to support Active4Today and Newark Swimming with this funding. I met with Newark Swimming Club whose members will be using the blocks, and it was brilliant hearing about all of the success of the club in recent years and how much enjoyment their members get from swimming.
“I spoke to one young boy from Newark who was not a confident swimmer when he started with the club. He started at age 8 in the small pool and now swims at County level. I hope these new starting blocks will help more swimmers train to competition standards and give them the best chance to build confidence in the water and succeed at the highest levels.
“Clubs are vital to our community, not just for promoting health and wellbeing, but also for nurturing our young people, their talent and ambition. We are absolutely committed to helping to provide these opportunities to our residents to help them flourish and grow.”
Newark Swimming Club was established in 1935 and has since been offering support to hundreds of children with their swimming. The Club are taking huge strides in the competitive swimming world, with swimmers competing in Counties and most recently the Regional galas. With over 180 members, their squads are full, and fully inclusive, welcoming individuals of all ages and abilities.
Adam McIntyre, Head Coach at Newark Swimming Club, said: “The diving blocks have already had such a massive impact on our swimmers, even though we've only had them for a couple of sessions. It allows our swimmer to train with the equipment that they'll use in races at most other pools, giving them the best possible chance of being successful and achieving their goals. A massive thanks to everyone involved in making this happen for not just for our current swimmers, but for future Newark SC swimmers for years to come.”
For more information about Newark Swimming Club please visit: https://www.newarksc.co.uk/