STA UNITES COMMUNITIES IN SUPPORT OF GRASSROOTS SWIMMING
As an extension to STA’s award-winning charity initiatives, STAnd Up for Swimming and the STArlight campaign, for 2024 STA launched a new campaign aimed at directly supporting not-for-profit organisations and groups; to help them start or boost a community-based aquatics project. To date eight charity grants have been awarded, with four more to be go.
CommUNITY STArters started in January this year, and was created to help break down barriers in communities across the UK, and encourage new and innovative ways STA can UNITE, and extend its support in grassroots swimming, in line with the association’s charity objectives of saving lives through the teaching of swimming.
Each month in 2024, one organisation/group is awarded a £1000 charity start-up grant. This forms part of STA’s commitment to bringing communities together and providing opportunities for people of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities to access aquatic activities.
To date, STA has seen the grants used to support local families who cannot afford vital learn-to-swim and water safety lessons, through to the organisation of free open water sessions to help people manage anxiety, depression and other illnesses, and the funding of events for disability swimming clubs.
These types of aquatic-based not-for-profit community projects can be a life-line for people who may not have the opportunity to access swimming – and even more so in today’s environment with rising costs and pool closures, as highlighted in the recent, Leisure DB ‘State of the UK Swimming Industry Report’.
With four months left to go, funding applications for CommUNITY STArters are still open for September, October, November and December.