Amateur club in Berwickshire succeeds in attracting new swimmers
A campaign by Duns Amateur Swimming Club (ASC) to revitalise interest in the sport locally and save it from closure has succeeded in securing new swimmers.
The Berwickshire club announced early this year that it was running out of funds, with swimming numbers having fallen to under 20.
With increasing costs, largely associated with pool hire after the rapid rise in energy prices affecting pools, the club now requires around 35 members to cover its costs and continue into 2027, its 55th year.
However, the campaign led by the club committee of volunteers has lifted the number of swimmers to 31 over the past three months, with the offer of a month’s free trial proving attractive, and seven local businesses have also stepped in to provide valuable sponsorship to help local families sign their children up.
A recent bid for Lottery funding failed, which underlines the challenges the club still faces, but the support of Ahlstrom, Borders Competitions, Farne Salmon, Fleming Homes, Gary Ormiston Creative Landscaping, ScotlandShop and Swinton Exterior Cleaning has been a major boost to enabling more children to join.
Ellie Spence, Duns ASC chair, said: “We still have a way to go to become viable again as a club and talk about our long-term future, but it has been amazing to see families and businesses coming forward to support the club because that has given us confidence that we can continue beyond the summer at least.”
Alexa Miller, a PE teacher, moved to Berwickshire eight years ago and her children Oscar and Harriett both learned to swim at the Duns pool, but they have now joined Duns ASC for the first time.
She said: “They both learned to swim as youngsters do in primary school, but I think swimming fell by the wayside in recent years.
“I can see the importance of not just learning to swim but becoming strong and confident in the water, and so we took Oscar along and he came away saying he loved it and wanted to join. So, his sister said ‘oh, I’ll give it a go as well’.
“Obviously, it is a big life skill and being a good swimmer can save your life or someone else’s one day, so I think we have to do everything we can to support the club.”