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2025-04-01-accounts

2024-2025 Annual Report – NIKO NESTOR CHARITY

Bank Balance: £ 2739.11

1. Overview

The 2024–2025 year has been a period of strong consolidation, growth and preparation for the next phase of the Niko Nestor Charity.

Our central focus remained promoting water safety, swimming ability and access to aquatic activities for children, young people and disadvantaged communities, while expanding the therapeutic and inclusive dimension of our work.

Major milestone this year has been the near-completion of our structured training course , alongside the professional development of our trustee Victoria Nestor , who successfully qualified as a Swimming Therapist – Level 1 . This represents a significant step towards integrating rehabilitation, inclusion and therapeutic swimming into our charity’s delivery.

Promotion of the Charity Through International Representation

Our trustee, Michael Read MBE , has continued to raise the profile of the Niko Nestor Charity on the international swimming stage. Throughout 2025, Michael competed at major global masters’ events, showcasing both athletic excellence and the values of lifelong participation in aquatic sport. His presence at these competitions directly supports the charity’s mission by strengthening international relationships and increasing recognition of our work in water safety, coaching and community inclusion.

World Masters Games – Taiwan, May 2025

Michael achieved outstanding results across multiple disciplines, inspiring swimmers of all ages and reinforcing the charity’s commitment to lifelong aquatic development:

British Long Course Championships – London, June 2025

Michael continued to demonstrate excellence at national level, achieving:

World Masters Championships – Singapore, July/August 2025

A highlight of the year was Michael becoming a World Masters Champion :

Michael’s consistent top-tier performances, across pool and open water, have significantly contributed to elevating the charity’s name among international coaches, clubs and swimmers.

Community & Charity Engagement

In addition to competition, Michael also represented the charity at community events.

Our core training programme is now nearly ready for launch , following extensive development and consultation.

Key progress:

It is provided/ delivered by :

Victoria’s qualification as a Swimming Therapist (Level 1) adds professional depth and credibility to the programme, allowing the charity to:

3. International Engagement & Ohrid Plans

This year also marked the strengthening of our international links.

Victoria also had the opportunity to visit and attend training sessions led by Nicki Pope’s inclusive swimming group , a programme coordinated by Head Teacher James Allan and organised with the support of Mike , whose ongoing contribution to swimming development continues to be invaluable. This visit provided a unique insight into the group’s training philosophy and the remarkable impact they have had on enabling swimmers of all abilities to take part in open-water challenges.

James and Nikki successfully trained a team of non-specialist swimmers to complete a Channel relay crossing , demonstrating that with the right coaching and support, openwater achievements can be accessible to a far wider community. Their team completed another relay crossing this year and received a CSA Award in recognition of their dedication and achievement.

During Victoria’s visit, she engaged in constructive discussions on how the Niko Nestor Charity can collaborate with their programme in future. The connection formed during this visit is now laying the foundation for a broader partnership between inclusive swimming networks in the UK , mainland Europe , and even further afield. One of the charity’s international links— Enrique in Mexico , whose progress qualifies for our possible donation —illustrates the growing global reach of this inclusive approach.

The intention is to continue developing this cooperation, sharing knowledge, coaching methods and opportunities that will strengthen inclusion, safety and participation across the wider swimming community.

We are planning an inclusive swimming and safety event in Ohrid , alongside the Ohrid Swimming Marathon.

The vision is to bring together:

Our focus will not be competition, but access, safety, inclusion and shared learning , especially for children and vulnerable participants.

  1. Recognition – Niko Nestor Award

This year, the Niko Nestor Award- Swimming for Peace was presented to Evgenij Pop Acev , in recognition of his successful swim across the Channel and his inspirational impact within the swimming community.

Evgenij is known for completing a solo English Channel crossing, a feat requiring exceptional endurance, discipline and mental strength, which reflects the spirit and values of Niko Nestor’s legacy. Evgenij, a world class open water marathon swimmer from Skopje, North Macedonia, competed in 106 world-class events across 21 countries during his marathon swimming career from 2007 to 2021. He won three major titles in the FINA series: the 2015 and 2017 FINA Grand Prix Series, and the 2019 FINA UltraMarathon Swim Series. Consistently performing at a high level, Acev achieved podium positions in these series for nine consecutive years.

5. Fundraising & Community Support

A special highlight of the year was the fundraising effort led by Jeffrey Gill .

Jeffrey successfully completed an English Channel relay swim as part of his open-water challenge.

In addition to his own fundraising, the Niko Nestor Charity supported Jeffrey by:

His swim was not only a physical achievement, but also a powerful example of how openwater swimming can be used to raise awareness and support charitable work.

6. Impact Summary 2024–2025

This year the charity has:

Outlook & Action Plan 2025–2026

1. Strategic Outlook

Over the next year, our focus will move from preparation into delivery and expansion .

Key objectives:

2. Action Plan

A. Course Launch

B. Ohrid Event Delivery

C. Volunteer Monitoring & Development

Volunteers are central to our work — and we need both better monitoring and more volunteers .

We will try to introduce:

1. Volunteer Register & Monitoring

3. Training & Retention

Swimming Clubs & Leisure Centres

Community & Disability Organisations

Online Volunteering Platforms

Social Media & YouTube