Swim | Nofio Cymru Annual Report & Accounts 2018 - 2019 Swim Wales Vision ‘Aquatics for Everyone for Life’. ‘Gweithgareddau Dwr ar gyfer pawb am oes’.

Swim Wales Mission “A world leading NGB delivering excellence, inspiring our nation to enjoy, participate, learn, and compete in Welsh Aquatics”.

May 2016

Swim Wales Wales National Pool, Sketty Lane, Swansea, SA2 8QG www.swimwales.org • Tel: 01792 513636 Chairman’s Report

CEO Report 02 04 Aquatic Development 06

Business Development 08

Elite & Performance 10

Governance 14

Safeguarding and 15 Protecting Children 16 Equality 18 Accounts Chairman’s Report

At Swim Wales Board level, we continue to focus effectively on our policies of sustainable resilience, equality, inclusivity, welfare and safeguarding. This includes, where relevant and necessary, driving the reforms to improve our reputation, as well as, delivering outstanding performances at local, regional, national and international levels.

The challenge over the last twelve months was to recruit new directors to our board with the appropriate and relevant leadership, role model and skill set necessary to ensure the delivery of our strategic plan and maximise the leverage for change required to match our vision. I am very pleased to say that we have been successful, so much so, that the Board of Swim Wales is now widely regarded as an NGB role model.

Just under half of our annual funding comes from and . Unfortunately, this is not guaranteed from year to year which means to completely meet our obligations as a National Governing Body, we also need to continually focus on business and revenue generating activities. This will ensure that we maintain sufficient financial flexibility to adapt to volatile core funding changes without damage to our essential operations and enable us to properly sustain and grow aquatics. I am pleased to report that during the last year we generated sufficient income to cover all of our liabilities.

The path from poolside to podium can often be long, tedious and unpredictable. One of the strengths of Swim Wales is the huge breadth of our aquatic activities, from learn-to-swim right up to our current, Commonwealth, Olympic and World champions. This creates a very broad spectrum which allows us to engage inclusively with the whole population of Wales who, will at some point in life show an interest in aquatic activities.

Whilst it is important to achieve good results, we must do so in a way that treats all of our stakeholders, including internal staff, member Clubs, coaches, teachers, technical officials, a myriad of volunteers, sponsors, investors and donors – in a fair and transparent way.

Over the next 12 months and with the next in Tokyo in mind, we will further develop our strategy in order to deliver enhanced value to all of our stakeholders within a governance framework that provides stability, prudence and effective oversight.

My special thanks on behalf of the Board to everybody involved, at every level in every Club across the whole of Wales, as well as, to our internal staff for the hard work, dedication, commitment and contribution to everything we have achieved together this year.

Allen Bewley Chairman

2 Swim Wales Nofio Cymru Annual Report & Accounts 2018-2019 3 CEO Report

It always gives me great pleasure to write a review of the Swim Wales operating year, and this, my third year as CEO of Swim Wales, is no exception.

The last 12 months have flown by, and what a year it has been for Welsh aquatics. 2018/19 got off to a flying start when 15 Welsh athletes travelled to the Gold Coast, with Team Wales to represent our nation in the . Each one of our finest participated in delivering record-breaking performances over what can only be described as a magical 10 days. In all, Team Wales won 36 medals, the best result ever for Wales - 5 of which were from , which was equally our best return ever. We should all be very proud.

In July 2018 we quickly moved on to our own Summer Nationals event at home, which continues to be one of the largest annual Open meets in the UK. Across 5 days we saw over 1,000 swimmers competing, and while the Summer Open is not a Welsh National, this remains by far our most popular event of the 8 national events we deliver each year. The quality of our youth and development pathway continues to amaze me, we are starting to see real strength and depth across the board and I am delighted to say that our talent pathway in Wales is in very good health.

In general terms, our sport has continued to grow in Wales, both in participation with over 400,000 people swimming once a week (officially this puts us in the top 3 most popular sports in Wales) and in other aquatic activities such as Water Aerobics and Aqua Fit which are becoming increasingly more popular amongst the mainstream public. Our club/membership environment continues to increase with nearly 11,000 members, which I’m pleased to say, is now supported by 3 newly created regional panels across the North, South East & South West.

In 2018 we strengthened our relationship with Welsh Government, and continue to play a central part in conversations which will directly impact our nation’s experience with water. Swimming is now widely recognised in Wales and beyond, as not just as a source of great enjoyment for many but as a skill that could save lives. Swim Wales has been integral to key national programmes such as the Free Swimming Initiative, School Curriculum Review (Swimming), the All Wales Water Safety Group and our team is leading the way in the UK with our Learn to Swim Framework. And while we are on it, I am delighted to welcome Jazz Carlin to our ranks as our Learn to Swim Ambassador, who through a similar framework, became one of our greatest Welsh Swimmers of all time. Our teams have worked hard this year to support and develop our growing network of members and partners, offering a range of aquatic opportunities for all. A major part of this has been the creation of our first Facilities Strategy for Wales which has helped identify the current ‘pool landscape’, both at community and elite level, and is aimed at addressing deprivation and needs for the future.

On the commercial side, we have had both successes and challenges. Our strategy of moving towards a more financially autonomous organisation (being less reliant on Welsh government and Sport Wales funding 40%) continues to bear fruit and has seen us increase revenue generation and put ourselves in a stronger position in several areas such as membership, affiliation, merchandising, badges & certificates. Our intention here is to create significant value for our customers and the communities in which we operate so that we can all benefit from the opportunities that exist commercially. Sponsorship remains a challenge across all sports, and we continue our conversations with both new and existing sponsors in Wales.

4 Swim Wales Nofio Cymru 2019/20 will see a significant change in the way we demonstrate impact and communicate outcomes. We have many great stories to tell, and not just about international medal successes but the ‘personal stories’ across our great clubs and busy leisure centres across the country. We will continue to work towards our vision showing how swimming and aquatics can support the health and wellbeing of the people of Wales, developing opportunities within Aquatics for everyone for life.

This year will see us join ranks with , Scotland and as we prepare for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games, and hopefully, if the recent world championships in Gwangju are anything to go by, a strong Welsh presence on the GB team will continue.

Finally, on behalf of myself, the management team, and all of our operational teams across Wales, we would like to thank our members, volunteers, officials, partners, customers and supporters at home and abroad as without you, this Welsh NGB wouldn’t be as successful as it is, you inspire us to do our very best.

Thank you, and we look forward to delivering another fantastic year for Welsh aquatics.

Fergus Feeney Chief Executive Officer, Swim Wales Director, British Swimming

Annual Report & Accounts 2018-2019 5 Aquatic Development Report

We have seen a fantastic 2018/19 period through all areas of Aquatic Development. The 12 months have involved further developing an engaging and energetic team to support our ambition to inspire the nation of Wales to become aquatically active.

We have seen an increase in affiliated clubs from 79 to 83 and club membership grow to nearly 11,000 members. Through our partnerships with clubs, we have been able to identify some of the key challenges that lie ahead; such as falling membership numbers and increase in pool hire fees. It’s been fantastic to see the increase in all round club membership but this is only the beginning and 2019 will see the Aquatic Development team further support clubs on these key issues.

Partnership and collaboration has been a key theme for us and will continue to be as we look to create our long term strategy for Aquatics in Wales. We have identified our key partners across all areas of Aquatic Development and are working closely to create engaging and aspirational aquatics plans for Wales. Through 2018/19 we achieved 55 out of 83 Club Development plans. As a team we are very encouraged by the engagement with partners and the value they see in collaborating on these plans. Through 2019 we intend to continue working with all existing partners and further demonstrate our desire to collaborate and engage through targeted opportunities such as specific roadshows and online communications for member clubs and delivery partners.

Local Authorities, Trusts and Operators are integral partners in delivering all of our Aquatic activities and similar to your club development plans, we are working with these key partners on Aquatic Development Plans to identify the activity currently taking place in that area, the workforce requirements and the gaps in provision, all aimed at creating strong and sustainable Aquatic opportunities. Through 2018/19 we achieved 17 out of 22 Aquatic Development plans with Local Authorities/trusts and are excited about the future of these partnerships as we move into 2019 and beyond.

We are developing a clear and purposeful focus on support for all volunteers and clubs through these Club Development Plans - in addition to twice yearly club roadshows, regular club visits and strategic programme support. This has been emphasised by the recruitment of our regional strategic panels which cover the regions, technical officials and our first ever Aquatic Youth Panel. These groups are proving crucial in understanding the current landscape in their particular areas, and ensuring all groups are staying relevant and ambitious in the ever changing world. Thank you all for your ongoing work and commitment to broadening the Aquatics offer in Wales.

6 Swim Wales Nofio Cymru Aquatic Development

2018 saw the continued focus on the organisation of the development sports such as Water Polo, Artistic Swimming (formerly Synchronised Swimming), 10,718 , Open Water and Masters which all required considerable support and Club Members coordination to realise their potential in Wales. We are delighted to report that through a national volunteer recruitment process we were able to appoint a full complement for each of the volunteer working groups for Water Polo, Masters 45,000 Children in Learn to Swim and Open Water who will drive vision and strategy for the sports across Wales Wales Programme utilising the specific skill sets of the group. We have also engaged with the Diving community in Wales and in January of this year all three clubs came together for the first time to discuss the exciting landscape and what the future holds. We are 218 incredibly excited about the planned work for 2019 and I personally would like Local Authority leisure to extend a thank you to all the passionate volunteers involved. sites in Wales In 2018, Swim Safe increased its venues to four across Wales. This allowed us the opportunity to increase the free spaces available to participation with 1,121 309 attending the programme. As we wanted to ensure a fair geographical spread Swimming Pools in Wales across Wales we decided to increase the venues to seven in 2019 with each one offering the programme over three days. Working with key partners such as Anglesey and Pembrokeshire Council has given us the opportunity to offer 2,248 870 spaces to children in 2019. Miles of Coastline 2018/19 saw major developments in our events programme. The Events team secured over 100 licensed meets across Wales (highest recorded licensing year). 260 The average event capacity of national Swim Wales event this year was 91%. Lakes & Rivers Highlights included - New Masters Short Course at Newport developing into a sprint competition; securing of the British Masters in 2019 hosted by Swim Wales and the Big Bala Bash hosting the Swim Wales Open Water Competition. 10 National events delivered Finally, thank you. None of what we’ve achieved together could be done without the time and passion that you commit to Aquatics in Wales. Working together, it’s a very exciting time ahead! 5,846 Spectators Simon Clarke Head of Aquatic Development 3,421 Swimmers 15,315 Entries 79 Volunteers 300+ Officials 9 Volunteer Panels

Annual Report & Accounts 2018-2019 7 Business Development

It has been a fantastic year for Business Development, both in terms of growth and development in what continues to be an extremely challenging climate. As a department Business Development was challenged with increasing sales of products and services to reach new highs and this has been duly delivered. With a fresh team in place and the strategy moved on from retention to growth. This growth has been achieved via our five business streams; Merchandise, Learn to Swim Wales Awards (Badges and Certificates), Sponsorship, Training & Development and Aqua/Sport Passport Software.

We now have a well-established process for the sales of event merchandise. Starting from a low base I am delighted that merchandise revenue has grown by 300%. The Water Dragon product range continues to evolve as we have added new products this year. We will continue to develop the range further and examine alternative routes to market and hopefully increase brand awareness and add to our distribution network.

I am delighted to say that sales of Learn to Swim badges and certificates continued to grow this year. We have worked in collaboration with the Aquatic Development team as we welcome more swim schools to the Learn to Swim Wales framework. 2019-2020 will see new product introduction with new certificates and badges for Bubbles and Splash which will enhance our offering and I look forward to another good year.

Sponsorship continues to be a challenge, not just for Swim Wales but for swimming and sport in general. Swim Wales is constantly working across the board and our new ‘asset pack’ has been circulated to potential partners.

Our national kit supplier is TYR, and as we enter year 4 of the 8 year partnership, relationships continue to strengthen.

8 Swim Wales Nofio Cymru I am extremely proud of the improvements to our Training and Development Business business. We made a strategic decision to bring all advertising of our courses ‘in house’ this year and ensured that all of our content and resources were Development Swim Wales branded. We have taken full responsibility of our customer service to ensure that the customer journey is Swim Wales throughout. We have 12 Core Business Revenue fantastic new tutors joining our already experienced team ensuring that we up by have more than adequate resource for our updated portfolio of 14 courses throughout Wales. £111,000 Aqua Passport continues to grow with 150,000 users this year. Our new digital partner, Empyrean, have supported us very well this year by improving the product’s functionality and adding to our customer experience. The next stage 12 x new Training & for the development of the product is to introduce new sports and this will be Development tutors a priority, along with adding to our customer base within Aquatics and product development. Merchandise The year ahead will provide many challenges and we will need to work extremely contribution up hard to maintain our business growth. I am delighted to lead this dynamic team and ensure that we will continue in our quest to enhance financial self 658% sufficiency.

Jon Fletcher Head of Business Development

Annual Report & Accounts 2018-2019 9 Swim Wales Performance

The 2018/19 financial year started on a high at the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games. Fifteen aquatic athletes represented Team Wales at the highly prestigious championships that ran from the 5th – 15th April. The team included twelve swimmers, two para-swimmers and one diver - Aiden Heslop, who became the first Welsh diver to be selected to Team Wales for over 20 years.

The Gold Coast Aquatic Centre provided the arena for Swim Wales athletes to once again shine against World Class opposition and achieve medal success under the pressure of a major games.

Chloe Tutton gained Wales’ first medal in the pool, taking bronze in the highly competitive women’s 200m final on day 3 of the championships and the medal success was followed up by Alys Thomas, who produced one of the swims of the championships in winning Gold in the women’s 200m butterfly on day 5 in 2:05.43, a new Commonwealth Games record. The final night of swimming competition produced three further medals, with Daniel Jervis swimming a new personal best to take silver in the men’s 1500m freestyle, before Davies won bronze in the 50m backstroke to follow her gold in the same event in Glasgow 2014. The women’s 4x100m medley relay team of , Chloe Tutton, Alys Thomas and Kathryn Greenslade concluded the swimming competition with an incredible performance to win the bronze medal behind Australia and . This was the first women’s relay medal for Wales ever at the Commonwealth Games and rounded off the most successful ‘away’ games for Wales in Commonwealth history.

The podium results, however, do not tell the full story of success for the aquatic team on the Gold Coast. Throughout the Games the team produced an incredible thirteen top five finishes and twenty-two top eight performances.

The major international success continued for Welsh swimmers at the LEN European Aquatic Championships held in Glasgow from the 3rd – 12th August. Seven Welsh swimmers represented GB at the championships which is the highest ever Welsh representation on a GB squad and remarkably won a total of nine medals between them, the highest number in our history. This included four gold medals (Georgia Davies in the 50m backstroke and mixed 4x100m medley relay, in the men’s 4x200m freestyle relay and Kathryn Greenslade in the Women’s 4 x200m freestyle relay), one silver (Georgia Davies in the 100m backstroke), and four bronze (Alys Thomas in the 200m butterfly and Women’s 4x100m medley relay, Georgia Davies in the women’s 4x100m medley relay and Katheryn Greenslade in the mixed 4x200m freestyle relay).

Georgia Davies’ notable performance in winning four medals at the championships was further enhanced by her breaking European records in both her individual 50m backstroke and as part of the mixed medley relay alongside GB team mates , and . In fact, 2018/19 proved to be a highly successful year for Welsh athletes in terms of record breaking: An individual European record from Georgia Davies in the 50m backstroke, a relay European record – from Georgia Davies as part of the 4x100m mixed medley team, a Commonwealth Games record – from Alys Thomas in the 200m butterfly, a World Para record – from Rhys Davies in the S14 200m backstroke, a British Para record – from Rhys Davies in the S14 100m backstroke, 5 Welsh senior long course records, 10 Welsh junior long course records, and 3 British Age group records.

The major international meets of the year concluded at the FINA World Short Course Championships in Hangzhou, , where once again Georgia Davies was on the podium winning bronze in the 100m backstroke, and therefore taking the major international medal tally for Welsh swimmers in 2018 to an outstanding fifteen.

It is equally pleasing to report that the ranking statistics relating to performances across the whole system also continue to show a general trend of progress, but at the same time highlight areas that have not significantly progressed which we will need to pay close attention to in the coming year in order to ensure the desired progress across the whole performance programme.

10 Swim Wales Nofio Cymru Swimming Performance measure Aug-15 Aug-16 Aug-17 Aug-18 World top 3 (open age) 1 1 0 2 World top 8 (open age) 1 2 2 3 World top 16 (open age) 2 3 5 4 GB top 3 (youth squad age groups) 3 7 13 18 GB top 8 (youth squad age groups) 8 23 26 31 GB top 16 (youth Squad age groups) 33 40 45 42

Para Swimming Performance measure Aug-15 Aug-16 Aug-17 Aug-18 World top 3 (open age) 0 1 2 2 World top 8 (open age) 2 2 2 2 World top 16 (open age) 2 3 3 3 GB top 3 (youth squad age groups) 3 5 3 6 GB top 8 (youth squad age groups) 7 12 9 9

Annual Report & Accounts 2018-2019 11 The past year has also seen the continued commitment to supporting the professional development of Welsh coaches and sports science practitioners. Following the launch of the Swim Wales National Coach Development and CPD programme last year, the Swim Wales Performance Team; in conjunction with the Performance Club network, Sport Wales and British Swimming; have delivered over seventy professional development opportunities, reaching in excess of one hundred and fifty people and over sixty clubs across the competitive and performance swimming and para swimming network in Wales.

The 2019/20 financial year promises to be very exciting with Welsh athletes gaining selection to represent Great Britain at international championships; four at the FINA World Swimming Championships, three at the LEN European Junior Championships, one at the World Para Swimming Championships, and one at the FINA World Junior Championships. 2019/20 will also see the introduction and acceleration of key initiatives as the Performance Programme continually looks for new ways to improve and evolve, such as the newly formed Para Performance Centre led by our new National Para Pathway Manager Matt Kendrick, and PhD research projects, in collaboration with Swansea University, investigating athlete well-being and pre-race strategies for maximising performance.

I would like to take this opportunity to personally thank all of the athletes, coaches, sports science and medicine staff, and clubs who have contributed to the great achievements over this past year. The success of the National programme is down to a huge team effort right the way across the system in Wales and I would like to wish all of our athletes and coaches the very best for continued success over the coming year.

Ross Nicholas National Performance Director, Swim Wales

12 Swim Wales Nofio Cymru Annual Report & Accounts 2018-2019 13 Governance Report

I am always proud to report that the Swim Wales team has embraced Good Governance. Governance is an agenda item at all meetings and progress is presented at every opportunity to both Board and staff. As Head of Governance the organisation supported my development this year by putting me through the CIPFA qualification for Corporate Governance, helping me ensure that the principles for good governance are at our foundation.

2018-2019 was a busy year for us as we revised many of our policies and procedures including reporting and reacting to concern/complaints. Further to this we have supported Good Governance in our membership by providing governance training to all of our affiliated clubs. This training will provide a great opportunity to clubs, and be beneficial to anyone in a volunteer position. During the next 12 months I look forward to working with our Training & Development Team to roll out further support for club volunteers and officials.

14 Swim Wales Nofio Cymru Safeguarding

For the 7th continuous year Swim Wales has achieved the L3 Standard, the highest standard in Welsh Sport for Safeguarding and Protecting Children. Swim Wales are committed to ensuring young people participating in Aquatics can do so in a safe environment and in the event of any concerns being raised or incidents reported assurance to parents they will be addressed and where appropriate fully investigated.

Progress has been made with the duty of care for our performance and elite athletes. A defined and clear procedure is now in place which includes a process for reporting any concerns.

Other successes this year that come to mind include the appointment by Sport Wales of The Ann Craft Trust to provide support to National Governing Bodies for Adults at Risk. A total of 506 DBS checks have been carried out in the last year (559 checks the previous year) and we continue to monitor safe recruitment. I am also delighted to say that 82% of our clubs now have Welfare Officers in place as we move to our target of 100% across the board.

The Aquatic Development team has made good progress this year in creating the three regional panels in Wales. As part of these panels three Regional Welfare Officers have been put in place to provide support to individual club welfare officers and this support will include training and development. This will help to drive safe recruitment processes to ensure that every volunteer in a position of trust regardless of whether or not their role is regulated and requires a DBS check is suitable to have access to children and young people.

Annual Report & Accounts 2018-2019 15 Equality

Following the success of achieving Intermediate Standard in April 2018 we have continued to embed good practices across the organisation and have built on our learnings. Swim Wales have developed strong relationships with various groups across Wales who provide opportunities for under-represented groups to access sport.

Everyone has the right to participate in aquatic sport and Swim Wales has 5 Equality objectives to support and maintain focus on this.

Zita Cameron Head of Governance

16 Swim Wales Nofio Cymru Finance Report

The financial year ending 31st March 2019 (2018/19) was another challenging year for Swim Wales, seeing a reduction in funding, along with an increase in core costs. This being said, Swim Wales has performed well, with overall income increasing by 3.3% year-on-year, along with overall costs decreasing by 2.7% in comparison. This resulted in a net contribution of £11.5k for 2018/19.

The 2018/19 result was primarily due to increased self-generated revenue along with more efficient cost control.

In 2018/19 Swim Wales saw a big improvement in efficiencies, with Business Development showing an increase of 29.9% in income and Aquatic Development showing an increase of 6.8%, coupled with reduced Central Costs of 6.8%. This is part of Swim Wales strategy to increase income from these two business areas, in order to become less reliant on Sport Wales funding, which in 2018/19 made up 45% of total income, which is predicted to decrease year on year.

Looking forward to 2019/20, Swim Wales foresee a similar result, seeing an increase in income, as the two alternative revenue stream business areas become even more embedded, outweighing reductions in funding.

Annual Report & Accounts 2018-2019 17 Accounts as at 31st March 2019

Income 31.03.19 31.03.18

Grants Sport Wales 1,001,748 924,234 Other Funding 49,351 70,000 1,051,099 994,234

Aquatic Development Membership 271,145 259,063 Events 193,058 178,670 Regional 101,729 79,977 Diving 34,754 25,614 Water Polo 63,055 79,346 Artistic Swimming 2,125 1,080 665,866 623,750

Business Development Merchandise 28,416 7,246 Sponsorship 20,000 7,167 Badges & Certificates 80,216 65,064 Education 282,756 217,496 411,388 296,973

National Performance 12,825 135,910

Other Income 8,779 40,027

2,149,957 2,090,894

18 Swim Wales Nofio Cymru Expenditure 31.03.19 31.03.18

Aquatic Development Staffing 148,581 117,226 Membership 8,000 6,669 Events 172,542 152,268 Regional 72,377 41,815 Diving 34,029 55,037 Water Polo 54,078 79,412 Artistic Swimming 3,097 7,819 Pathway 105,990 19,715 598,694 479,961

Business Development Staffing 49,296 39,896 Merchandise 19,256 6,052 Sponsorship 290 0 Badges & Certificate 18,290 11,997 Education 222,931 180,841 310,063 238,786

National Performance Elite Performance 312,717 436,973 National Para 19,327 21,280 Elite Coaching 385,805 404,932 717,849 863,185

Overheads 509,612 624,392

2,136,218 2,206,324

Net (Deficit)/Surplus for the 13,739 (115,430) Year Before Taxation

Annual Report & Accounts 2018-2019 19 Balance Sheet 31st March 2019

Income 31.03.19 31.03.18

Fixed Assets Tangible assets 270,133 281,564 Investments 1 1 270,134 281,565

Current Assets Stocks 8,587 13,057 Debtors 303,137 390,915 Cash at bank and in hand 327,517 297,828 639,241 701,800

Creditors Amounts falling due within one year 394,451 479,921

Net Current Assets 244,790 221,879

Total Assets Less Current Liabilities 514,924 503,444

Reserves Income and expenditure account 514,924 503,444 514,924 503,444

20 Swim Wales Nofio Cymru Partners

Annual Report & Accounts 2018-2019 21