A SWIMMING club which has been in Basildon since the 1960s is set to sink...unless a fundraising campaign can make up for the huge loss of income caused by the Covid pandemic.

The Basildon Phoenix Swimming Club, which uses the Sporting Village leisure centre, has been forced to turn to crowdfunding to help stave off the threat of collapse.

Bosses revealed how the club was only open for 15 weeks in 2020, due to the ongoing coronavirus restrictions.

On average, the club lost £1,200 per week for those 15 weeks it was open.

Treasurer Amanda Goodman, who has swum at the club since 1979, said the club wasn’t in “immediate danger” of closing, but if the impact of the pandemic goes on for much longer, “we’re in trouble.”

The 50-year-old, who hopes the club can open in April, said: “We’ve been so restricted in what we can do. We’ve had to open and close constantly. 

“The restrictions only allow six people per lane. That impacted our classes massively.

“We usually have nine or ten galas and competitions a year. They’ve all been cancelled and that’s lost us £60,000 in income.”

The fundraising campaign has been set with a target of £5,000, which will be matched by Sport England, who will donate another £5,000 to keep the club afloat.

The £10,000 will cover training costs while competitions aren’t permitted.

The club boasts around 320 members, and is one of the most successful clubs in the East of England, picking up winners medals at most, if not every gala it enters.

Mrs Goodman, who’s 13-year-old daughter now swims at the club, added: “It’s really hard for our members’ mental health and their wellbeing.

“All I and the members know is swimming. My daughter’s just trying to block it out that she can’t go.

“In the first lockdown, 50 per cent of our members said they were happy to pay their fees. 

“We can’t do that now, people are struggling and have lost their jobs. That’s why we need the fundraiser.

“The leisure centre and Sport England have been brilliant. 

“We’re all doing everything we can.”

You can donate to the swimming club by going to crowdfunder.co.uk and searching for Basildon Phoenix Swimming Club.