Swimming
South West Short Course Winter Championships 2026
UPDATED 02.11.2026
The Swim England South West Winter Championships are fast approaching, taking place at Millfield School from Friday 6th to Sunday 8th November 2026.
With accepted entries and scratches now available, we are looking forward to welcoming swimmers from across the South West for a fantastic weekend of competition.
SWR Winter Regional 2026 Accepted and Scratched Swimmers .pdf
swr win regionals 26 physc sheet.pdf
SWR Winter Champs 26 Warm Ups.pdf
However, we need the support of our South West swimming community to make these championships happen!
Volunteers and technical officials are essential to delivering the competition, and we need support across all seven sessions. Without this support, we simply cannot run the championships successfully.
Championship Sessions
The championships will take place across seven sessions:
| Session | Date | Warm-up | Racing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Session 1 | Friday 6 November | 6:00pm | 6:25pm |
| Session 2 | Saturday 7 November | 8:00am | 9:00am |
| Session 3 | Saturday 7 November | TBC | TBC |
| Session 4 | Saturday 7 November | TBC | TBC |
| Session 5 | Sunday 8 November | 8:00am | 9:00am |
| Session 6 | Sunday 8 November | TBC | TBC |
| Session 7 | Sunday 8 November | TBC | TBC |
Please note that some session timings are still to be confirmed.
Volunteers Needed – Every Helping Hand Counts!
We are asking clubs, parents, families and members of the wider South West swimming community to come together and support this event.
We understand that volunteering can sometimes feel daunting, particularly if you haven’t volunteered at a swimming competition before. However, you don’t need previous experience to get involved!
There are a variety of roles available, including beginner-friendly opportunities such as runners and refreshments coordinators. Our workforce team will provide briefings and support, and where possible, you will be paired with an experienced volunteer.
We know that parents want to watch their swimmers compete, too!
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Many roles are shared, allowing you to step away and watch your swimmer race.
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Flexible arrangements can be made around your swimmer’s events.
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Even a small contribution of time makes a huge difference.
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Some roles can accommodate siblings, provided arrangements are made in advance.
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Many volunteer roles do not require DBS checks or safeguarding qualifications.
Once you have signed up, you will be allocated a role and provided with the information you need.
Please consider supporting one session, a few hours or as much of the weekend as you can. Every contribution matters.
Technical Officials – We Need You Poolside!
Our technical officials are a vital part of delivering a successful competition, ensuring swimmers can compete in a fair and supportive environment.
We are asking qualified licensed officials from across the South West to support the championships across all sessions.
Officials who officiate at any session are entitled to reimbursement of expenses in accordance with the South West Region’s Officials Expenses policy. This includes qualified licensed officials who have swimmers competing at the meet.
Please sign up for the sessions you are available to support.
Professional Photography at the Championships
We are delighted to welcome Malaper Photography to the Winter Championships, capturing the action and excitement across Saturday 7th and Sunday 8th November.
Please note that the photography team will not be attending the Friday evening session on 6th November.
There are several photography options available:
General Event Photography
General coverage will be available free of charge, without pre-booking. However, individual swimmer photographs are not guaranteed.
Pre-Booked Photo Requests – £40
A £40 booking fee provides non-exclusive race coverage, with 5–10 images to choose from.
The £40 fee acts as a deposit, with £30 returned as gallery credit to spend on prints or downloads.
Exclusive Premium Photography
For swimmers wanting dedicated coverage, exclusive premium commissions are available:
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1 Race Pack – £120: Includes 12 full-resolution downloads.
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2 Races Pack – £160: Includes 18 full-resolution downloads.
Bookings are limited and operate on a first-come, first-served basis. The advance booking deadline is Wednesday 4th November at 8:00pm, with higher prices applying to bookings made at the event.
Please note that 50m freestyle, backstroke and butterfly races are not recommended for photography commissions. Relay commissions are only available if the entire relay team books together.
On-site printing will also be available, with prints ranging from 6x4 to A4.
For photography enquiries, please contact malaper.photography@gmail.com.
Spectator Tickets
Come along and support our swimmers!
Spectator tickets are available to purchase in advance. Due to venue capacity restrictions, spectators must have a valid ticket to enter.
Together, We Make These Championships Possible
The Winter Championships are a major event for our region and provide an important opportunity for swimmers to compete, achieve qualifying times and celebrate their hard work.
We are asking everyone across the South West swimming community to help us deliver a fantastic weekend.
Whether you are a parent, club member, coach, official or simply someone who loves swimming, your support is invaluable.
Please sign up, share this message with your club and help us make the Swim England South West Winter Championships 2026 a success!
Thank you for your continued support.
The South West Short Course Winter Championships 2026 conditions are now available!
The Level 2 licensed championships will take place from Friday 6th to Sunday 8th November 2026 at Millfield School.
The Championships provide swimmers with an opportunity to compete at regional level and gain qualifying times for the Swim England National Winter Meet. The event will include a range of individual events across the 13/14, 15, 16 and 17+ age groups, with Senior and Junior finals for most events.
Key information
- 📅 Dates: Friday 6th – Sunday 8th November 2026
- 📍 Venue: Millfield School, BA16 0YD
- 🏊 Level: Level 2 Licensed Meet
- 💷 Entry fee: £12 per individual event
- 📆 Entry deadline: Midday on Monday 19th October 2026
- ⏱️ Qualifying window: Times achieved from 3rd November 2025 to 19th October 2026
- 🏅 Age groups: 13/14, 15, 16 and 17+
- ♿ Para swimming: Integrated competition with supplementary Para conditions
Times achieved at Level 1, 2 or 3 competitions during the qualifying window will be accepted, with long-course conversion times permitted using the Sportsystems time converter.
Due to venue capacity, spectator numbers will be limited and entry to the venue will be by ticket only. Further information regarding spectator tickets will be released nearer to the event.
Clubs are also asked to support the Championships by providing qualified officials and volunteers, helping us to deliver a successful event for all competitors.
Clubs, swimmers, coaches and team managers are encouraged to read the full South West Short Course Winter Championships Conditions before submitting entries.
Entries must be submitted electronically by midday on Monday 19th October 2026. Late entries or additions will not be accepted.
Further information, including the programme of events, consideration times, Para swimming conditions, officials' information and the Coach/Team Manager accreditation process, can be found within the full conditions document.
The goal of the Swimming Committee is to develop talent and to provide opportunity for swimmers, whatever their ability or age, to achieve their potential. The Swimming Committee is assisted by 3 sub-committees to run competitions for swimmers aged 11/12 and upwards:-
- Officials
- Coaches
- Masters
In addition to the full range of competitions, the Region also sends a team of swimmers annually to an Overseas Camp. This camp includes education, training and an opportunity for swimmers to experience competition in an international environment, away from their home club.
Three training camps are run during the year as part of the England Talent Programme, focusing at Regional level on 12 year olds. These involve specific aspects of stroke development, land training and talks.
The Region organises, assists and helps fund the training of Officials. We hold CPD seminars and mentoring courses to ensure all our Officials are kept up to date with new developments, and that competitions at all levels are staffed with the correct level of competence.
As well as arranging coaching courses as and when required, the Region supports the development of Coaches by running seminars, workshops and conferences. Coaches are also encouraged to assist at the training camps and the Overseas Camp.
Job descriptions for the roles within the Swimming Committee and sub committee are detailed below, please click on the relevant role to view the full job description:
Swimming Manager
Swimming Committee Secretary
Swimming Committee Finance Controller
Admin & Events Co-Ordinator
Regional Licencing Officer
Officials Committee Secretary
Regional Technical Officials Training & Development Co-Ordinator
Coaches Committee roles & Duties of Secretary/Coaches Administrator
Meet Organiser
Masters Committee Secretary
We have the following links to various areas of information relating to Swimming.
Click here to view the Competition Calendar.
Updated December 2023
SC Open Male RecordsUpdated April 2024
SC Open Female Records updated April 2024
Click here to view the current Long Course Records (both Junior and Senior) Updated April 2024
Swimming Officials / Licenced Meet Documents
In order to run our meets we always require Officials, please check back here for updates and information about Regional opportunies for both Officiating at our events and training that we are providing.
Online J1 Training Success
Following the success of the SW Pilot of the J1 online the Region has been generously fully funding SW candidates through their J1 training since January 2020.
To apply for your voucher please follow the guidelines found on the below links.
Enrolling on the J1 online without Timekeeper
Judge 2 training continues to be delivered by ZOOM each month on a rolling basis. To find out what is involved and how to apply read the fact sheet (this is a word doc so may not work on some devices) please use the PDF version by clicking here.
Questions on any aspect of Officials Training can be directed to Jill Beard The Regional Officials Training and Development Coordinator on beardfamilyuk@icloud.com
Expenses
Please click here for the current guidance
Licensed Meet Information
All Licensed meet documents once completed need to be sent to Lesley Leffers on glleffers@btinternet.com (contact tel: 07707 470100)
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