Last weekend saw over 320 swimmers participating in a Festival of Aquatics to celebrate the centenary of the Cumbria Amateur Swimming Association.
The event had competitors aged from seven to 70 taking part in competitive racing, water polo, synchronised swimming and some fun events taken from a swimming programme from the 1880s.
The event was the first major event to held in the Sand Centre’s new eight lane 25m pool which proved a winner with swimmers and the 160-plus spectators who attended the four sessions across the two days.
Cumbria currently has eight competitive clubs from Carlisle and Penrith in the north to Barrow, Kendal and Ulverston in the south and Copeland, Workington, and Cockermouth in the west.
All these clubs cater for swimmers starting out in the sport through to masters who still enjoy competing at local and national level.
The association was founded in 1923, originally as the Cumberland and Westmorland Swimming Association, having four initial member clubs – Border City, Carlisle Juvenile and Welfare Association, Wigton Swimming Club and Derwentwater Swimming Club.
The event also saw the unveiling of an exhibition which charts Cumbria’s Swimming history which goes back to the establishment of the first clubs in the county and building of the first Victorian Baths.
Barrow is the oldest club founded in 1877 with Penrith not far behind, as they for many years swam in the River Eamont.
Cumbria has produced several successful swimmers over the years including Olympians. Doreen Hutton (Carlisle) would have been Cumbria’s first Olympian but for the outbreak of World War Two.
Wendy Burrell (Carlisle), a British Champion, represented GB at the 1968 Mexico Olympics, Sean Uren, (Barrow), a Paralympics swam in two games during the 90s.
Our most successful swimmer is Luke Greenbank (Cockermouth), double medallist at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics and gold medal winner in the World Championships 2019 and Commonwealth gold in 2022. Luke will be a serious contender for medals in Paris 2024.
The county is now looking forward to the next 100 years and hopefully more success with the potential for Grange Lido Project providing a 50m outdoor pool.
