Leander Amateur Swimming Club Trustee Annual Report 2024-2025
Charity Registration Number: 102327
Contents
Organisation Overview and Purpose...................................................................... 3 Leander ASC Activities 2024-2025.......................................................................... 4 Financial Commentary............................................................................................. 5 Declaration................................................................................................................ 6
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Organisation Overview and Purpose
Leander Amateur Swimming Club (ASC) is a charity registered with the Charities Commission in Northern Ireland. The Club is affiliated to the regional and national governing bodies Swim Ulster and Swim Ireland and is led by a voluntary committee (the Trustees). Having formed in 1964, Leander ASC has a strong history in developing top level competition swimmers and providing a great environment for swimmers to progress at all levels from Fundamentals through to Masters.
In setting our objectives and planning our activity for the year the Trustees have given careful consideration to the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland’s guidance on public benefit. This is to ensure that the activities have helped to achieve the charity’s purposes and provide a benefit to our beneficiaries namely the members of Leander ASC, the majority of which are people living in the Greater Belfast area.
Leander ASC’s vision is ‘to develop people so that they can enjoy swimming competently and achieve their potential as club members, coaches and competitors’.
Club Objectives:
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to promote swimming in the community and coach people to swim competently.
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to support all members to achieve their goals and potential within aquatic sport.
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to develop and encourage physical and mental health, self-esteem, confidence and camaraderie through club activities.
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to provide a safe and positive environment for members by safeguarding the reputation and sustainability of the Club through the implementation of appropriate and proportionate governance and management standards.
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to promote the work of the Club, both internally and externally through a range of communication channels.
The trustees are appointed on an annual basis at the Annual General Meeting.
| Trustees 2024-2025 | Trustees 2024-2025 |
|---|---|
| Claire Savage | Mark Harvey |
| Helen Lunny | Joanne Kennedy |
| Gary Johnstone | Damian Cranney |
| Kathryn Wylie | Briege Johnstone |
| Paula Cunningham | Gemma Bingham (co-opted March 2026) |
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Leander ASC Activities 2024-2025
We are pleased to report continued success in meeting our objectives during the 2425 season; from teaching the important life skill of swimming through to developing performance athletes achieve their personal goals at regional and national level.
Our Coaching Team (16 strong plus additional helpers) delivered high quality training and lessons to our wide range of groups - operating out of 5 pools across Belfast, seven days a week - often delivering more than one session a day. Additionally long course training and strength and conditioning sessions were provided.
Membership numbers during 24-25 remained similar to the previous three years however we saw a further small but important % increase to our morning performance group. At the end of the 2025 season, we appointed a new Head of Junior Club Development to further build our junior end with the aim of transitioning more into Junior Development and competition.
Our gender balance is positive and the age ranges we have encouraged into (or return to) swimming is impressive, ranging from 5 to over 75 years of age.
Membership at the end of 24-25 season:
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2 0714 swimmers
45% Female
55% Male & Open
Age Group %
5 to 11 55%
12 to 16 21%
Over 16 24%
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Highlights of the 2024 -2025 year included:
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Active club participation and strong performance in the regional Aquasprints and Provincial Town Leagues, increasing swimmers’ skills, confidence, and teambuilding. This is particularly important for younger swimmers entering competitive swimming.
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Participation and success for individual swimmers at regional and national competitions with many medals, titles and records achieved throughout the year, including at the Ulster Short Course and Long Course Championships, and the British, Irish and World Aquatics Masters.
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7 of our swimmers competed in the 2025 McCullagh International, 3 qualified for the 2025 Irish Open and 24 for the 2025 Irish National Championships.
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Two of our swimmers were selected for Irish National Junior Pathway Programmes during 24-25 season (one in swimming and one in triathlon) and another swimmer selected for the Ulster Regional Pathway.
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13 of our swimmers (our highest number to date!) were awarded GLL and Belfast City Council sponsorship. These awards recognise the recipients as ‘talented athletes’ and support their sporting journeys.
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Club volunteers continued to uptake and complete coaching/teaching qualifications supported financially by the club in recognition of their volunteering and commitment to developing others in the sport.
Financial Commentary
The Club accounts and Independent Examiner’s Report are submitted alongside this report.
Income and expenditure continue to increase year on year reflecting increased activity. Higher costs (including increases in pool hire) against income in 2025 however resulted in the club once again utilising reserves to avoid passing on all costs to our membership. Having operated at a reduced closing balance two consecutive years (23-24 and 24-25) and giving due consideration to having sufficient operating reserves in line with best practice, the committee took the decision to apply a small increase to member fees for the 2025 to 2026 season.
The Trustees also continued to seek other opportunities to fund further club development. The club was successful during the reporting period to secure a grant from Belfast City Council ‘Support for Sport’, sponsorship from local businesses and a donation from a former swimmer to help swimmer costs where support is needed. The grants and sponsorships (restricted in use) also used directly for the benefit of members and the community.
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Declaration
In preparing this report the Trustees of Leander ASC have had due regard for the guidance on public benefit from the Northern Ireland Charity Commission and other documentation produced by the Commission and are of the view that the Club is operating in full compliance with its duties as a charity.
Signed on behalf of the Trustees:
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Claire Savage
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Claire Savage Leander ASC Chairperson
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