A special year for me as I put pen to paper for the last time to write this report. As I indicated last year I had decided that 2010 would be my last year in any form of officialdom (and I had been involved in some committee for over 20 years). Once again I will be happy to watch from the side and enjoy the efforts of my Grandchildren as I had my own children 30 years ago.

During the year we held 7 Committee meetings (1 had been snowed off).  Committee members were Rhys Tamlyn – Alan Thorne –  Rod Thompson – Janette Summerbee – Marion Britton – Chris Marsh - John Sissons –  Jean Trewhitt –  Nicky Booth – Diana Weare – Greg Harper - Laura Wren – Nicky Bryant – Andy Crawford and Georgie Coombs.

Once again a big thank you to our Committee members and the other volunteers who give of their own time to ensure we provide support for our members throughout the year in all 3 sections.    It has been my pleasure to work with them all.

Some of the key items included trying to continue a dialogue with other Bristol Swimming clubs about combining training sessions, sharing pool time have not yet been fully achieved.  There have been various suggestions but little progress but I expect to see a sensible improvement over the coming year.

However the long promised 50m pool is now being built and we are in touch with the council to ensure we gain maximum benefit for the club when it is completed.

The impact of the University fire at the pool in 2009 was fully checked by our Treasurer to make sure that our Insurance claim covered all losses to the club. 

And then there was a Volcano which stranded our group of swimmers, coach and helpers in Spain for a further week and cost the club a lot of money.   A special thank you to Marion for making sure that everyone got home safely.

Probably the main source of income we have, other than the monthly fee, is the income from our Swim school which takes place in Clifton High School Pool on Sundays.   Diana Weare, who runs the sessions, desperately needs a qualified Teacher to assist by giving of their time.   Diana is on 9687495 if you think you (or someone you know) can help.  

I could go on of course but the individual reports that follow will refer to the main pool activity and our key results.      We owe so much to those that give up so much of their time – not for the money because there is none but rather to see people giving their best, to see boys turning into men and girls into women, to see people supporting each other even when competing against each other and we see friends made and retained for a lifetime.     

Thank you for taking the time to read this and I hope you enjoy the following annual reports.  If you consider becoming a helper for Bristol Central Swimming Club I can assure you that you will be with Simply The Best!!

Rod Thompson