Out To Swim's achievements hailed at Swim England National Awards

A swim club whose members have had to overcome prejudice and stigma now has more than 700 members and is offering aquatic opportunities to adults of all ages and abilities.

Out to Swim, which recently celebrated its 30th anniversary, not only provides aquatics but also offers a safe space in their mission of ‘aquatics for all’.

Primarily a community for adults who identify as LGBTQ+, it is open to all who support inclusion in aquatics and now has clubs in Bristol, London and Brighton.

There are plans to grow the membership yet further in 2025 by affiliating another club in Bournemouth and Poole – all very different from the days when securing pool space for the LGBTQ+ community was a challenge in itself.

Trustee Matthew Bazeley-Bell explained: “Out to Swim was created out of a real need for a space where LGBTQ+ people could take part in aquatics.

“More specifically, there were people wanting to compete internationally but who were who really struggling to get any pools to accept them because the prejudice and stigma which equated our whole community with HIV.

“So, at the very start of our club we had a small number of very committed people who had to   campaign their way into pool space.

“There are a number of international aquatic events for the LGBTQ+ community. There’s the Gay Games and lots of events like that which bring our community together. One of them was what our early members were aiming for and helped to establish our club.”

‘Everyone can participate’

From humble – and campaigning – origins, the club has grown and developed into a multi-discipline club with athletes competing in swimming, water polo, open water swimming and artistic swimming They added to their list of firsts earlier this year by having the first all-male duet compete at the Swim England Artistic Swimming National Masters Championships.

Out to Swim’s achievements were heralded at the Swim England National Awards where they were voted GoCardless Swimming Club of the Year and also carried off an Inclusion Impact Award, as well as achieving recognition for their water polo and artistic swimming coaches.

Bazeley-Bell added: “We were founded as an LGBTQ+ club and now offer a safe space for anybody in aquatics; we are not going to judge who you are.

“What that means for us is that we provide a safe, welcoming, inclusive, ‘everyone can participate’ culture poolside and that is the most important aspect of our club.”

As a national charity, Out to Swim support their members by providing access to welfare and financial support for membership and competitions so that someone’s financial situation isn’t a barrier to participation.

“We were founded in London and we’ve worked very closely with Swim England to establish our teams in Brighton and Bristol as well,” Bazeley-Bell revealed.

“All three clubs are rooted in their local counties and regions, and that’s really important because we’re able to show up and proudly participate in aquatics locally.

“We have interest from others across the country who recognise the importance of inclusion in our sport and we’re hoping the next Out to Swim club will be setting up in Bournemouth and Poole next year.

“As a national charity, we’re able to do a lot of the work behind the scenes to enable local clubs to get going straight away. With us, they inherit the structures, systems and policies which makes taking a splash easy.”

Embodying that inclusive ethos

Bazeley-Bell himself has been involved in the club for 20 years and admits that his membership has been a life-enriching experience.

“There’s one thing about my story which I find common with lots of people’s stories,” he says.

“I was comfortable as a swimmer, but it took me years to gain the confidence to join Out to Swim because one of the most common stories you will hear from many of our members is the perceived barriers which include body image, shame or earlier negative experiences in sport.

“I knew about the club and it took me years to buck up the courage to be able to go and join in, even though I’d been swimming for years. I eventually joined and I very quickly got involved in all aspects of the club.

“It has been a huge part of my life, and I think many people would say the same. It is our ‘chosen family’ and I even met my husband through Out to Swim.

“We moved from London to Bristol six years ago and, with another friend, we started swimming, taking over public lanes and eventually establishing a full Out to Swim club providing five sessions a week to almost 90 members.

“I’ve had a long involvement in the club – it means an awful lot to me as I know it does to other people as well.”

Bazeley-Bell has a simple piece of advice for anyone torn about whether to take the plunge and join Out to Swim.

“We know that it can be a big deal to join, but I can honestly say that you’ll be surrounded by a group of the most friendly, welcoming and inclusive people that you’ll ever meet.”

Mike Hawkes, Swim England’s head of diversity and inclusion, said: “I have been fortunate enough to meet and work with a number of Out to Swim’s members. As a club they embody the inclusive ethos that we hope to see across our national membership.

“It exemplifies how creating an inclusive environment can have a ripple effect that leads to incredible membership growth and even national recognition! Congratulations to them for winning the Inclusion Impact Award and I’m sure their new clubs will be a great success.”