On Saturday, we wrapped up our final Introduction to Open Water Swimming sessions, and what a fantastic way to finish.  Designed for members curious about trying open water for the first time, the sessions proved successful, with every athlete heading home armed with top tips for competing confidently in open water.

Swimmers learned essential race skills including acclimatisation, spotting, drafting, mass starts, and efficient buoy turns, before putting their new knowledge into practice by swimming the full set course on the lake at Sale Water Park.

During the second session, swimmers were even joined by a squadron of low‑flying geese skimming across the lake, while sudden downpours soaked the shoreline, though parents, armed with raincoats and umbrellas, felt it far more than the athletes who were happily unbothered in the water.

A huge thank you goes to Bob at OpenSwimUK for supporting these Introduction Sessions. They were extremely well received, and we hope to bring even more opportunities like this to our members next year.

The confidence boost was clear, with many of these novice swimmers having now entered the hugely popular  SENW & SENE Open Water Regional Championships 2026 which is taking place on Saturday 27th June, also at Sale Water Park.  With 250 athletes registered, it’s shaping up to be a busy, exciting, and memorable competition – fingers crossed the weather is just as kind!

Following on from Volunteers’ Week, we’d love to welcome anyone who is interested in helping us at the Championships on the 27th June.  If you’d like to get involved, please email swimnorthwest@swimming.org – volunteers will receive a T‑shirt and all the information they need.