We held a Committee meeting last night, where we discussed our current swimming arrangements and junior fees.
There is clearly still significant uncertainty around whether restrictions will be lifted on 21 June, and even if they are, Bradford Council may still decide not to relax the limits they have placed on us in terms of the maximum number of swimmers we can have in the pool at any one time. Whilst it is extremely frustrating for us (and you), and in the background we are trying to lobby the pool/council to allow more swimmers, we must work within the constraints we have been set.
As we have previously communicated, the club is now operating at a significant loss per month, with the reduced number of swimmers not being reflected in any reduction in pool or lifeguard costs. To put this into some context, we are losing around £1,000 per month – clearly this is not sustainable in the medium term, but we do have sufficient funds to cover us for a few months, until we see how/when the wider restrictions get lifted.
We are also acutely conscious that swimmers are paying the same monthly fees for less pool time than previously. We are trying to avoid a significant increase in costs and doing our best to be fair and balanced in very difficult and uncertain circumstances. None of this is ideal, as I’m sure you appreciate.
Given the small changes that have been made to swimming sessions, the Committee decided that the following fees will apply In July and August.
· C Squad – 45 minute sessions – £26 per month
· A/B squad – 55 minute sessions – £30 per month
Please could you amend your payments for July and August.
Thank you to everyone who has paid promptly, it is much appreciated – I will be chasing those who are in arrears separately. Please do let me know, in confidence, if you have difficulty paying fees and we will do what we can to help
The Committee decided to review fees again during August, to be effective from 1st September onwards, and this may result in an increase in fees.
As a Committee, we’d like to take this opportunity to say a big thank you to everyone who volunteers their time to help out, be that helping poolside or taking the Covid registers – we simply couldn’t manage without your support. Given our current financial situation, we are reliant on volunteers more than ever. A few Committee members no longer have any swimmers connected with the club, but still give their time up freely and willingly to support the running of the club.
We are still open to a volunteer to help co-ordinate the return of Masters swimming and, in the meantime, Kathy is working hard in the background to try and find suitable and viable options.
Sadly, we have lost a lot of our junior swimmers, many deciding not to return to swimming as they have found other interests during lockdown. I am aware that some parents may still be receiving ISC emails. Until I get round to sorting out the googlemail account, you can unsubscribe yourself from the email by clicking below if you no longer wish to receive emails.
Enjoy the sun – hopefully we will be in touch soon with more positive news.