Harrogate District Swimming Club is appealing for help from businesses to help it sustain its recent stellar run of successes in the pool. 

Swimmers at the club have won armfuls of medals, and even broken a world record at competitions over the last couple of weeks. But club officials are keen to find a corporate sponsor to help it recoup the loss of thousands of pounds over the last three years. 

Normally, the club would hold three weekend-long swimming galas a year at Harrogate Hydro and bank the profits, but the covid pandemic and the closure of the Hydro for its £11.8m refurbishment has seen that source of income all but dry up. 

Team manager and communications officer Brian Charlton said:

“We’ve only been able to hold one gala in the last three years. So we’ve lost eight out of the nine galas we would have held, and about £2,000 each time. That’s a huge amount to make up. 

“We’ve approached several of Harrogate’s larger companies, but with no luck so far. Hopefully we’ll be able to hold a gala in 2023, but until then we’d really like to find a sponsor to help us out.” 

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Gold rush in Sheffield

The world record-breaking female 4x200m front crawl 200-239 yrs team: Julie Hoyle, Jo Beardsworth, Karen Graham and Fiona Cryan.

Swimmers from HDSC recently competed with 1,000 others from across the country at the annual Swim England Senior/Masters National Championships in Sheffield, coming away with 14 gold medals, five silvers and three bronze, as well as four European/British records and even a world record for the ladies 4x200m front crawl 200-239 years team. 

Younger swimmers were also in action at the second short course County Championships, also known as the ‘Yorkshires’. Overall, they achieved 34 top-ten finishes, including eight gold medals, four silvers and one bronze. 

The Hydro swimming pool in Harrogate will close for nine months on Friday ahead of a £11.8m refurbishment.

The facility will get a two-storey extension as well as a new entrance, cafe and reception area.

There will also be new diving board equipment, a new fitness suite and the changing areas will be upgraded.

A computer generated image of how the Hydro will look.

The existing gas boilers will be replaced with air source heat pumps and 250 solar panels, as well as new metering and energy monitoring and control systems.

The pool is run by Brimhams Active on behalf of Harrogate Borough Council.

It means until January, the nearest available council-run pools will be in Starbeck, Knaresborough, Patelely Bridge and Ripon. Opening times are available on the Brimhams Active website.

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The project will be carried out in phases, with the refurbished pool hall and changing rooms re-opening in January 2023 and the ‘dry side’ activity space by April 2023.

How the new Knaresborough Pool will look.

Work to build the new Knaresborough Pool will start on April 26. The current facility will remain open.

Wallace Sampson, Harrogate Borough Council’s chief executive, said:

“This investment at both the Hydro in Harrogate and a new facility in Knaresborough follows our investment at the Jack Laugher Leisure and Wellness Centre in Ripon and shows our commitment to providing first-class leisure facilities for Harrogate district residents.”

A disability swimming squad in Harrogate jumped straight back in this week after finally getting back to club sessions following the easing of restrictions.

The swimming team, Hotshots, returned to the water last night after months away with the members just as eager as the coaches.

Run by Harrogate District Swimming Club at Harrogate Hydro the group encourages disabled people into the water offering them training and the chance to compete in local competitions.

An arrangement with Harrogate Borough Council to add extra pool time means the club’s disability swimming squad can return.

The team’s first session back was on Tuesday night with their coach Lisa Gill. She was very excited to see all the swimmers back again, some haven’t been in the pool for over a year.

Club representative, Brian Charlton, said:

“It’s something we’ve been pushing for for a long time so it was great to see the swimmers back in the water last night. To see the smile on their faces was just amazing. I was speaking to one of the members’ mums who said this was her happy place and that is why we do it.”

Last night five swimmers came to the practice but Mr Charlton has high hopes to return to the team to its previous size of 20 members.

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Currently, group sessions can only include under 18’s but due to different rules Hotshots can invite people of all ages to its practices.

With the return of the Hotshots squad the club now have 60 swimmers under the club squad scheme.

The club has said it is working with the borough council and the new arms-length company running leisure services, Brimham’s Active.