Help Lancashire Telegraph save Blackburn Centurions swimming club

Founded in 1878, it has been the leading competitive swimming club in the region but faces significant pressure due to the cost of hiring facilities.

Now, the Lancashire Telegraph is backing a fundraising campaign to financially support the club.

Swimmers at the club have achieved success at regional and county level (Image: Blackburn Centurions) Despite limited financial resources, the club has ensured to rarely increase fees to keep it as sustainable and affordable for everyone, regardless of their economic backgrounds.

However, fees for pool hire have continued to rise and they have now seen their reserve funds severely depleted.

Club chair Ruth Johnson said: “We worry that if the club closes, a lot of swimmers would give up.

“It would be a real shame to see it go just because of the number of members we have now and what we do for the community and what it brings to the leisure centre.

“Even though there are other clubs where you can go and train, the cost is a bit higher than ours, and parents would have to travel a greater distance.”

The club looks to go beyond swimming and focusses on building friendships and life skills (Image: Blackburn Centurions) In August the club launched a fundraising campaign to try and raise £10,000 which would keep the club afloat for another 12 months.

They have currently reached the £5,000 mark, with £1,600 of this coming from an inter-club swimming gala run by the team.

Ruth highlighted that they offer more than just swimming with the club a vital part of children's physical and emotional development.

You can click here to donate to the swimming club's fundraiser

She added: “We appreciate the support and anything we can do to increase the funds further and keep our swimmers.

"It is about mental health and wellbeing and relieving the stress at the end of a busy day at school or college.

“Children are travelling to other pools and getting experience whilst meeting other swimmers from different parts of the county and the region.

“We also help schools and host the Blackburn with Darwen galas as well as helping to run and support these events and ensuring our swimmers are competing.”

They face financial difficulties due to growing pool hire costs (Image: Blackburn Centurions) All coaches at the club are volunteers and give up a large amount of their spare time to share their expertise with the children.

Having once been home to Olympic gold medallist Anna Hopkin, they provide an experience more than just swimming, focused on building confidence, teamwork and lifelong friendships.

Since Anna went on to Olympic success, the talent pool at the club has continued to grow and this year saw numerous gold and silver medals at both the county and regional championships.

READ MORE: Girl, 11, on mission to help ‘struggling’ Blackburn club that trained Olympian

Every penny raised through the page will go directly into supporting the club and its swimmers.

Richard Duggan, Regional Editor North West for Newsquest, and Editor of the Lancashire Telegraph, said: "The closure of Blackburn Centurions would be a huge loss for nearly 100 children who are passionate about swimming - not to mention countless other youngsters in the future.

“Organisations such as this one play a vital part in the community by bringing young people together to follow their dreams and keep fit whilst having fun.

“I know that time are tough, but I am asking our readers to donate as little or as much as they can to save this beloved local institution so that it can be enjoyed for years to come."

To donate to the fundraiser visit www.gofundme.com and search Blackburn Centurions- Keep us swimming strong!