King’s Lynn swim club West Norfolk splashes out on new equipment thanks to UK Power Networks

West Norfolk Swimming Club (WNSC) has received a donation from the UK’s biggest electricity distributor, UK Power Networks.

The company, which delivers electricity to eight million customers across East Anglia, London and the South East, has given the Lynn-based club a £250 grant as part of its Team Sport Award programme.

It donated the money following an application from employee Lewis Wells. His sons Nathan (19) and Joe (17) are members of the club and have been competing for the past decade. Nathan is now studying chemical engineering at Loughborough University and has risen to compete at British Championships level.

Both first learned to swim at the club aged five and Lewis, who first joined UK Power Networks back in 1979 and now works on overhead power lines, has been involved with the swimming club for the past 14 years.

With this funding the club will buy land training equipment for the swimmers to use for strength and conditioning, along with some swim parachutes for resistance training in the pool to benefit all members.

Lewis Wells, who works out of the company’s Lynn office, said: “As a family we have been members of WNSC for several years. I am a member of the committee and we all try to help out when we can during our local swimming gala events as this helps to raise much needed funds.

“I would like to thank UK Power Networks and all involved with the Team Sports Awards programme for the kind donation to WNSC.

“Being involved with the swimming club and the training aspect takes up a great deal of our time along with attending the many open meets and competitions all over the country. We wouldn’t change a thing though. We have really enjoyed it and have hardly ever missed an opportunity to support our sons and their teammates when they are competing.

“Getting our sons to training and competitions over the years has been a very big commitment for us all though, and I couldn’t have done it without the full support and help of my wife Jill.

“It has been great journey to see our sons develop into the confident swimmers they are today. We have all made some great friends through swimming and the WNSC club.”

The Team Sport Award scheme is designed to encourage staff to volunteer in the community and is aimed at promoting healthy living, teamwork and development of sporting opportunities

Hundreds of community and sports groups have benefited from grants since the scheme was set up. Last year £15,500 was donated to sporting groups connected to UK Power Networks staff.

WNSC has a large membership of swimmers ranging from the very youngest beginners in its development swim Programme, to some of the most accomplished competitive swimmers in the UK

The club is affiliated to the Amateur Swimming Association and has been awarded ‘Swim21 Performance Club’ status recognising its level of excellence at every stage of the programme from learn to swim through to high performance swimming.

It also holds the Sport England ‘Clubmark’ reassuring the membership that the club follows best practice in terms of programme delivery, club management and administration, health and safety, and child welfare.