News

Club Website

Hello Everyone

As you may be aware, Will Lee is leaving the club this month and we’re now on the lookout for a volunteer to help manage and update the club website.

Maintaining the existing website requires someone with a bit of a technical background, who is:

  • Confident with managing files in a directory structure
  • Happy running programs from a command line
  • Comfortable with markdown
  • Able to volunteer 1-2 hours each month for website maintenance (e.g. maybe 15 minutes per week)

This would include the updating of club news and policy documents from time to time as well as the updating of information that rarely changes such as fees, timetables, calendars, records etc. At this point we are not looking to redesign the website or plan any major changes to the website structure.

If you are interested in supporting the club in this way (or might be), please get in touch asap. If you have a family member who might be interested please also get in touch.

Or if you just have a query or want to find out more just let me know,

Regards

Mark

New club shirt ordering

Dear all,

New club kit with the new logo is now available to order! Click on the link below:

https://stroudmasters.deco-apparel.com

For this first run, we only have the competition colours (red), as the race season is starting, and these are our club colours for poolside.

When you make your order, please note the following:

Shipping Methods

  • ⁠a member of the committee will do one bulk collection from the printers, if you complete your order by 15th February 2025 and you have selected ‘Customer Collection: £0’ in the section Select Shipping Method’;
  • ⁠alternatively, you can select the other options if you’d prefer;
  • ⁠technical t-shirts are on the smaller side. So go up one size when ordering;

Order Options

  • leave ‘Customer PO Number’ blank;
  • ⁠‘Add Instructions’ - add, “Will be collected as part of bulk order by Stroud Masters in February”
  • ⁠you cannot amend ‘Job Name’

Other Colour Options

We appreciate that members may wish to order kit but not the club colours. We are planning other orders with a wider range of colours and hope to provide this once we have completed the first order..

On sizing

please note - sizes are based on chest sizing. This will be displayed if you tap/click in the size option and then scroll down. However there is currently no sizing information for the technical t-shirts. We have asked the printers to add (just a reminder that tech shirts are on the smaller size so go up a size).

If you have any issues with the order, please contact Mike Joffe.

The Committee

New club hats

Hello

This message is for anyone not on the club WhatsApp chat.

You’ll be pleased to know we now have a new club hat available for anyone wanting to buy one. If you are interested in buying one, they are £5 each (please pay into the account). I’ll make sure some hats are available at each session. If you have any queries, get in touch

Mark

New club hat

Tuesday Evening Swimming Sessions

Hello Everyone

As most of you will know, Alice Pinney has been coaching the Tuesday evening swimming sessions for the last four months. However, due to work commitments she has decided to stop doing this and next Tuesday, the 28th of January, will be her last coaching session, although she will still be swimming with the club.

I am sure you will all join us in thanking her for the fantastic job she has done. Planning and running swimming coaching sessions is a big commitment and going forward the way the Tuesday sessions are run will change. That said, we think we have come up with a new structure which will work. In this email we outline that new structure and ask you to let us know if you think this will work for you. We would also be interested in finding out if any of you might be interested in getting involved in some aspects of running the Tuesday sessions - more on that later.

South East Regional Long Course Results

More great results from Alice, Mark & Jessica who represented the club at the South East Regional Long Course Champs at Crawley this weekend.

  • Alice
    • 100m butterfly - 3rd
    • 400m freestyle - 4th
    • 100m freestyle - 8th
  • Mark
    • 200m backstroke - 1st
    • 50m breaststroke - 2nd
    • 200m breaststroke - 4th
    • 50m freestyle - 8th
  • Jessica
    • 400m IM - 1st (new South West record)
    • 400m freestyle - 1st (new South West record)
    • 200m Backstroke - 1st
    • 50m freestyle - 4th

Alice, Mark, Jessica

Stroud Masters SC AGM

Dear All,

The Club AGM is to be held on Wednesday 19th February at 6.30 pm. The venue will be advised nearer the time.

During the meeting, the club committee for 2025 will be established and we would welcome new nominations for members to join. Attached is a form for nominations to the committee , and if you wish to stand for any of the elected positions please complete and return it to me by Sunday 2nd February with your details. You will require details of your nominee and seconder as per the form. If you are interested in becoming a co-opted member (non-elected) please also indicate on the form. A more detailed explanation of the roles can be found within the club constitution on the website. If you have any questions about any of the roles or the workings of the committee don’t hesitate to contact a committee member. For information, the current Committee positions are as follows:

  • Chair
  • Secretary
  • Treasurer
  • Elected members (up to three)
  • Co-opted members (up to three)

Role descriptions for the first three positions are available on the Club web-site.

Please also send me details of any resolutions you may wish to put forward at the AGM by the 28th January.

Regards

Jessica (On behalf of the committee)

Membership Fees 2025

Hello Everyone

The Committee has decided to raise the membership fee this year by £5 to £50 due to recent increases in the pool hire costs and Swim England fees. Second claim members will receive a 50% discount and pay £25. In previous years we have managed to absorb the increase in costs within the membership fee but this is no longer possible.

I’m pleased to be able to say though that swim fees will remain the same as last year @ £6 per swim.

Please pay the annual membership fee into the club account after 1st January but no later than the 31st January. If the membership fee is not received by then I’ll assume you do not wish to renew and your Swim England registration will cease.

I’ve attached the Club membership form for 2025 (see About ). You will notice that it has a slightly different format to previous years and it’s important that everyone completes the form and returns to Lorraine (email above) when paying the membership.

We’re not anticipating any further increases in swim session costs during the coming year but in the unlikely event there are then we may have to reconsider the session fee part way through the year, as well as the annual membership fee for 2026.

From January 2025:

  • £6.00 per casual swim (pay as you swim) or

OR

  • £55 per month in advance/SO for any three sessions each week per month
  • £40 per month " " any two sessions each week per month
  • £21 per month " " any one session each week per month

New members will be entitled to one trial swim at a cost of £6.

All swimmers will be registered as Club Train except for those who competed for the Club last year, who will be registered as Club Compete. If you are interested in competing for the Club please get in touch with either myself or Lorraine and we can set you up as Club Compete in a few days, prior to entry.

If you have any queries please let me know. Could you also let me know if you don’t intend to renew your membership,

Regards

Mark

Xmas Swim Times

Hello Everyone

Swimming arrangements over the Christmas and New Year period.

  • Sunday 22nd SPLC am - as normal
  • Monday 23rd Archway am - moved to 7.30-8.30am
  • Tuesday 24th Archway pm - cancelled
  • Wednesday 25th Archway am - cancelled
  • Friday 27th Archway am - cancelled
  • Sunday 29th SPLC am - cancelled
  • Monday 30th Archway am - cancelled
  • Tuesday 31st Archway pm - cancelled
  • Wed 1st Archway am - cancelled
  • Fri 3rd Archway am - cancelled
  • Sunday 5th SPLC am - back to normal

Apologies for the lack of swimming opportunities during this time but the school has, unusually, closed down for most of that time. If you have an queries please get in touch,

Mark

Possible Training Session at Bath University

Hello Everyone

We are looking at the possibility of hiring one or two lanes at Bath Universitiy’s 50m pool in January and would like to gauge interest from club members.

The session would be on a Saturday, and be for 60 or 90 minutes depending on availability of the pool and a coach,

Please could you respond to myself and Mike if you are interested,

Mark