Dear Members,

The Christmas holidays are fast approaching, signalling that another year has flown by. Looking back over the last 12 months, the common theme for the industry as a whole has been ‘unison’ with the formation of the Swimming Alliance, and then in September for us, the historic signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with Swim England.

These strategic partnerships signify a hugely positive step forward for everyone involved in swimming. An example of this, is our collaboration with Swim England on school swimming this year, in relation to having a unified approach on curriculum standards and governance, and creating a policy for the safe use of mobile pools.

Plus, at ELEVATE this year we successfully partnered with RLSS and Swim England to host the first 3-day Aquatics Theatre, which will be repeated again in 2025. At the upcoming SPATEX show in February we will also be working with the RLSS again, and ISPE (Institute of Swimming Pool Engineers) and (IOS) Institute of Swimming to deliver pool plant seminars.

It’s early days, but it’s amazing to see the positive impact the Swimming Alliance has already had in uniting the top bodies and organisations involved in aquatics. It also emphasises the importance of everyone working in aquatics joining a professional body to ensure their voice is heard and represented at this pivotal time of unison.

This leads nicely into talking about membership, and in 2024, we exceeded the 20,000 mark which was another milestone achievement for the STA. I know from speaking with members that you credit the personal support you receive from the STA team to be as important as the insurance cover included in the membership package – and you can equally trust that we will continue to represent your needs and concerns, and highlight your successes for others to learn from.

Moving into 2025
I’m positively looking forward to being actively involved with the Swimming Alliance to see how we can foster the collaborations further; and how together we can make a tangible difference this year by working selflessly and without political bias for the greater good of everyone involved, and invested in grassroots swimming.

We’ve seen firsthand, thanks to the support of our members and partners over the last couple of years, the real difference ‘boots on the ground’ initiatives can make in swimming when targeted for the greatest impact.

We achieved this through our STAnd Up for Swimming, STArlight, and CommUNITY STArters campaigns, which in line with our charity objectives have helped tens of thousands of people of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds access swimming lessons. I am extremely proud of what we accomplished as an STA Family, but just think what more we could achieve as an industry working collaboratively – and even better if government funding was made available for us all to be involved in delivering cohesive, far-reaching campaigns like these.

I strongly believe that while future strategies, for example around facilities and school swimming, are being debated, in 2025, we should get on and develop more innovative, workable projects that foster collaboration and promote inclusivity for all those interested in swimming; because ultimately, as we’ve experienced, they will be the ones where we can all hit the ground running and make the biggest difference in this current climate. I am hopeful about the opportunities that lay ahead.

Importantly, we could not do any of this without the brilliant support of you, our members; and as your professional membership body, we pledge to continue to listen to your needs and concerns – and for your future success, we will continue to ensure your voice is represented, and heard at the top table.

One final message – thank you from the whole team for your continued support and trust in us, and here’s to a united new year.

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas.

Dave Candler
STA CEO