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James Salmon

Congratulations to the incredible East Region Award Winners 2025

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All our East Region Award Winners of 2025 have officially received their awards and are now gearing up to represent us at the National Awards later this month! 🌟

Your hard work, passion, and unstoppable energy continue to inspire us all — let’s hear it for our amazing East Region team!

Swimming Club of the Year – Basildon & Phoenix Swimming Club

Artistic Swimming Club of the Year – Aqualina (Stevenage) Artistic Swimming Club

Water Polo Club of the Year – Colchester Swimming & Water Polo Club

Children/Age Group Coach of the Year – Annette Skeet

Talent Development Coach of the Year – Ryan Crouch

Participation and Community Coach of the Year – Jayne Jarvis

Volunteer of the Year – Tom Brennan

Young Volunteer of the Year – Ruby Brace

Technical Official of the Year – Jamie Tape

Congratulations to Keith Belton — Recipient of the Jeff Cook Salver 2025

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We’re thrilled to announce that Keith Belton has been awarded the Jeff Cook Salver — a fantastic recognition of his dedication, excellence, and outstanding contributions

In presenting this award, we recognise Keith’s tireless dedication and exceptional contribution to aquatics at all levels. For more than 25 years, Keith has been an active and passionate volunteer within the aquatic community — consistently giving his time, expertise, and energy to ensure that events run seamlessly and athletes receive the support they need.

Working tirelessly behind the scenes, Keith ensures that every discipline is fully supported — whether running up and down poolside at regional swimming events, managing the complex technical aspects of competitions that many never see, or dedicating countless hours as part of the Swim England East Region Board, where he serves as Finance Director and supports many other areas of the region’s operations and governance. Without his commitment and expertise, the region simply wouldn’t be able to deliver the high-quality events we associate with world-class standards.

Keith’s influence extends well beyond the regional stage. As a key volunteer in Norfolk, he serves as Treasurer and plays a pivotal role in organising county events. His leadership, reliability, and unwavering commitment ensure these events run smoothly and successfully, year after year.

In addition, Keith remains an active and valued member of his home club, Norwich Swan, where he helps organise and run countless events that simply wouldn’t happen without his dedication. Whether officiating as a referee or operating the AOE system, Keith is always poolside — demonstrating his hands-on commitment to the sport he clearly loves.

His dedication, professionalism, and passion for swimming make Keith an exceptional and truly deserving recipient of the Jeff Cook Salver.

Vice Chair Vacancy

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Swim England East Region is inviting applications for the voluntary position of Vice Chair to serve as a member of the Regional Board. This role offers an excellent opportunity for an experienced and committed individual to contribute to the effective governance and strategic development of aquatic sports within the East Region.

Key responsibilities include:

  • Supporting the Chair in leading the Regional Board and ensuring the region operates in accordance with Swim England’s governance framework.
  • Assisting in the delivery of the regional strategy and objectives.
  • Acting as Chair in their absence, when required.

The ideal candidate will:

  • Have a sound understanding of the structure and governance of aquatic sport.
  • Demonstrate strong leadership, communication, and organisational skills.
  • Be able to work effectively as part of a team and contribute to strategic discussions and decision-making.
  • Be committed to upholding the values and objectives of Swim England and the East Region.

Further information:
Please find below the links to the Role Description and Nomination Form:

How to apply:
For further information about the role, please contact:

The closing date for applications is 31st October.

Please send your completed nomination form to [email protected]

Do you have Coaches interested in Land Training?

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Swim England are excited to be planning their 2026 programme and are looking for clubs to host their Land Training course.

The Swim England Land Based Coach Certificate equips coaches with the knowledge, understanding, and practical skills needed to deliver effective land-based training across all aquatic disciplines.

Hosting a course is a fantastic opportunity for your club to:

  • Support the development of your own coaches
  • Bring training opportunities closer to home
  • Contribute to raising coaching standards in your region

If your club would like to host a course, please contact Abi Jones at [email protected]

Chair and Welfare Officers Conference at Stapleford Granary

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Earlier this month, Swim England East Region hosted its first-ever Chair and Welfare Officers Conference at Stapleford Granary, providing a valuable opportunity for volunteers to come together, share knowledge, and strengthen their understanding of good governance and safeguarding.

Stewart Murray, East Region Chair, welcomed delegates to the event and outlined the new Swim England East Strategy. He highlighted the region’s ambitions for growth, inclusivity, and stronger support for clubs, emphasising the importance of chairs and welfare officers working in partnership to deliver safe and successful environments.

  • Simon Rose, Chair of West Norfolk SC
    Simon spoke about the importance of a constructive, supportive relationship between club chairs and welfare officers. He stressed that open communication and mutual trust are essential to ensuring that clubs can function effectively while keeping member welfare at the heart of decision-making.
  • Emma Swann, Active Partnership
    Emma introduced the work of Active Partnerships and how they can provide opportunities, funding, and support for clubs. She also delivered an engaging session on the concept of the “active bystander,” encouraging delegates to feel confident in challenging and addressing inappropriate behaviour when it arises.
  • Helen Weeks, Swim England Governance
    Helen highlighted the governance responsibilities connected to welfare, underlining the importance of robust structures, clear policies, and accountability. Her session provided practical advice and examples to help clubs strengthen their welfare provision.
  • James Diamond, Swim England Safeguarding Manager
    James delivered an in-depth session on Level 2 safeguarding investigations, giving delegates a clearer understanding of the processes involved, their responsibilities, and the support available from Swim England.

The day was very well attended, with positive feedback from attendees who valued both the quality of the presentations and the opportunity to connect with colleagues from across the region.

This inaugural event marks an important step in strengthening collaboration and support for club volunteers. The East Region hopes to build on its success and grow the conference in future years, welcoming even more attendees to benefit from shared learning and networking.

Chair and Welfare Officer Conference

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On Saturday 6th September 2025, the Region will be hosting its first Chair & Welfare Officer conference at the lovely setting of Stapleford Granary in Cambridgeshire.

The day will run between 10 – 4pm with inputs from SE Safeguarding, the National Welfare Officers, Governance, Active Sports Partnerships and more!

Lunch is included and it is free to attend! Spaces are limited to 2 per club, if you or your chair cannot attend you are welcome to send 2 other representatives from your club committee.

The day will focus on how chairs and welfare officers can effectively work together whilst still maintaining confidentiality and cover topics such as how to deal with outcomes following a SE Safeguarding investigation, the behaviour policy, culture change, how Active Sports Partnerships can help your club and a Q&A with a panel of experts.

It will be an excellent opportunity to network, feedback to the region, put faces to names and pick up some ideas to implement at your clubs to allow them to flourish and make your job easier!

Please support this event, there is a minimum number which must be reached in order for it to go ahead.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Register Here

Water Polo Leadership Group Manager

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Do you have a passion for water polo?

Swim England East Region is searching for a Water Polo Leadership Group Manager to help shape the future of the sport across our region. This rewarding volunteer leadership position offers the chance to improve pathways for athletes and coaches, and foster a stronger, more connected water polo community in the Region.

You would chair the group meetings scheduled throughout the year as required. The Group consists of representatives from water polo clubs in the East Region and will be supported by a member of the Regional Board and the region’s staff.

The role description for the Water Polo Leadership Group Manager can be found Here.

If you are keen to get involved, please complete a Nomination form and return it to [email protected]

The closing date is the 4th August 2025.

Thank You

Swim England East Region Strategy

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Swim England East Region is pleased to announce the publication of our exciting new strategy.

This document represents a significant step forward for aquatics across our region, and we are proud of the vision it outlines.

Our new strategy has been developed to be fully aligned with Swim England’s One strategy, including their values and goals. This ensures that our efforts in the East Region directly contribute to the national goals and fostering a united approach to aquatics for everyone.

We believe this strategy will provide a robust framework to grow and enhance lifelong aquatic opportunities in the region, from grassroots participation to elite performance, and to ensure a positive and inclusive experience for all involved.

Should you have any questions or comments regarding our new strategy, please do not hesitate to contact the Regional Chair, Stewart Murray [email protected]. Your feedback is invaluable as we embark on this exciting new chapter.

To see our strategy click here

Swim England East Region Strategy

Artistic Swimming Regional Games

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Over the last 9 months, the region has organised 4 development days, which culminated in the selection of a squad of 15 swimmers to compete at the annual Artistic Swimming Regional Games.  Our lead Regional coaches Kerri Clewlow and Jayne Jarvis made a great job of running the sessions, with the input of other coaches from the region. Over 30 swimmers have attended the sessions, so selection was tough, but all have seen great improvement.

The First part of the regional games was to submit a video of 4 swimmers from different age groups, performing a set of instructions, to music, and show of balance, extension and flexibility to name but a few.

The four girls worked really hard to nail this performance, being very self-critical and aiming for the best. When they were happy, Coach Kerri uploaded this video. For this element, we placed 2nd out of all seven regions.

The swimmers have been preparing for high-level figures for the event; for some swimmers, this was beyond what they normally can do at their age, so they haven’t even been assessed against them yet.

A few days before the competition, the figure draw was announced, and the swimmers grabbed some last-minute practice.

All this preparation and hard work paid off as a Region, we picked up not one but two medals.

Silver place was Chloe Reynolds of City of Chelmsford.

Gold place went to Dominika Janikova of Aqualina ASC.

The 8-person squadron relay made up another part of this event, finishing in 5th place, an improvement from last year’s 7th place.

Overall, the East Region finished a respectable 6th place, this was an improvement on last years 7th place.

As a region, we have improved massively, and last year, the GB team said how lovely it was to see the East Region taking part.

A big thank you to all those that made this event a success!

Coaches Safeguarding & Welfare Drop-in Surgery

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Swim England East Region is hosting a Coaches’ Safeguarding & Welfare Drop-in Surgery on

Thursday, May 8th, 13:00 until 16:00.

During this time, Fran, our Regional Welfare officer, will be available for you to address any concerns, ask questions, and receive guidance related to safeguarding and welfare best practices within the swimming environment.

The drop-in session is a flexible and informal setting, encouraging open communication and support for coaches in their vital role.

Coaches involved in any discipline are encouraged to attend and benefit from this session.

Please call 01509 640378 or Email [email protected]

Swim England East Region AGM

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Swim England East Region will be holing their Annual General Meeting on 23rd April 2025 commencing at 19:00.

The meeting will be conducted via Zoom.

Elections for the positions of Regional Chairman and two further Directors will be held during this meeting.