What is Bottisham Swimming Club (BSC) and what does its website cover?

Bottisham Swimming Club (BSC) is a family-orientated competitive swimming club based to the north and east of Cambridge, with roughly 120 members aged between 8 and 19. Its website at bottishamswimclub.org.uk is the club's information hub: it explains what the club does, who runs it, how competitions work, when training happens, and how to request a trial. If you are a parent looking for a club for a competent young swimmer, or a junior swimmer hoping to train and compete, this site is where you start.

Who the club is for

BSC describes itself as friendly and family-orientated, and it welcomes a range of abilities rather than only elite swimmers. According to the site, members include "swimmers of exceptional talent, and swimmers who love to push themselves to develop and improve in the water."

• Age range: about 8 to 19 years old.
• Entry level: young swimmers usually start from around age 8, once they have reached roughly Level 7 or 8 in their swimming lessons.
• Squad pathway: swimmers typically begin in the Academy Squad, then progress through C, B and A squads over a number of years.
• A squad: operates with committed swimmers aged about 12 to 19 who compete regularly.
• Junior club swimmers: competent swimmers aged up to 18 may be accepted directly into the B and A squads, provided there is space.
• Continuity: many members stay until they leave college or go to university, and some families have a parent who swam for the club as a child.

What the website covers

The site is organised into a small set of sections, each answering a different question:

The homepage also carries featured news, including a weekly news post covering training times, pool updates and gala event times.

Training locations and days

The site lists the following pool schedule:

• Bottisham Swimming Pool — Wednesdays and Thursdays
• Impington Sports Centre — Sunday afternoon
• Impington Sports Centre — Monday evening (A squad)

Because training times and pool arrangements can change, the weekly news posts on the site are the place to confirm current details before travelling.

How the club is run

BSC is run by parent volunteers who sit on the Committee, and its coaches are described as having a passion for competitive swimming as part of an active childhood and a healthy life. The club states that it expects hard work, commitment and good behaviour in the pool, and encourages swimmers to carry those principles into other areas of their lives.

On safeguarding, the club says it operates in accordance with WavePower, Swim England's safeguarding policy. The site lists a Club Welfare Officer contact email, links to Swim England welfare and child safeguarding contacts, and the Swimline Swim England/NSPCC child protection helpline on 0808 100 4001.

How to join

Joining starts with a trial rather than direct enrolment:

1. Complete the trial request form on the website.
2. The Membership Secretary or Head Coach gets in touch when a trial space becomes available.
3. Trials run for swimmers aged 8 and above, three times a year.

If your child is already a competent club swimmer, the site notes that older juniors may be able to join the B or A squads directly, subject to available space — worth mentioning in your trial request.

What the site does not tell you

The homepage does not publish fees, membership costs, exact training times for every squad, or a full competition calendar. Those details sit behind the individual sections, the club calendar and the weekly news posts, or need to be confirmed with the club directly through the contact page.