In this blog, we spoke to Selena, the club manager at our club based in Vauxhall Leisure Centre. Selena is passionate about widening accessibility to swimming sessions, seeing people achieve their goals, and of course, swimming!
How is swimming a part of your life, Selena?
I learnt to swim on holiday in Greece when I was four – I loved it right from the start! Because it was warm and I was on holiday, I was relaxed and it seemed more of a game. I then started swimming lessons at school and it became my ‘thing’. I am short sighted and didn’t like wearing my glasses when playing field sports. As I got older I kept swimming up as my sport of choice. Now I love it – it’s quiet time away from my laptop and from the bustle of a city where it is never truly silent – I find it very meditative.
What made you want to volunteer with WeSwim?
I was looking for something to do where I could really feel I was helping someone achieve something. At the time I was working for a major national charity and I saw how much of a difference it makes when you get involved. A friend of mine suggested WeSwim. He knew how much I loved the sport and talking (!) so I went along to a session.
Swimming is not only great for fitness and wellbeing but is also a life skill. There are also so many people that don’t find regular sessions very accessible and I wanted to help change that.
What was your first session like?
It was great! I went to Old Street and the volunteers were really welcoming. Prior to this, I’d had an in-pool training session with other volunteers. In my first week, I shadowed a couple of more experienced volunteers to see how it was done in practice. There is also support from the We Swim club committee on the side of the pool, so you are never really on your own. The swimmers are fabulous – for many it is the highlight of their week and seeing people improve week on week is amazing.
It’s a very collaborative, supportive community!
What are you excited to see in the future for WeSwim?
I’d love us to be able to run more sessions in more pools – we have such a long waiting list of swimmers but we need the pool space, funding and volunteers to make it happen. Our number of clubs has increased since I joined but so has the number of swimmers!
