We train twice a week in the YMCA's 25m pool, on Thursday evenings, 8:30 to 10:00 pm and on Sunday mornings, 10:00 to 11:00 am. Our coaches are Ben Gifford and Julian Meldrum and we aim to have someone on poolside delivering every session.

We train in three lanes (six on Thursdays), graded on ability and speed. We swim more freestyle than other strokes, but also aim to work on backstroke, breaststroke and butterfly. Every session is different, with seasonal planning based on training for major competitions.

Y Swim is affiliated to the Southern Counties and Middlesex County Amateur Swimming Associations.

Joining/Visiting

We welcome women and men of any creed, nationality, sexual orientation and age -- our current range is from twenties to sixties. We accept that some people are more able to swim particular strokes than others ... some of us have learned new strokes since joining. Some of us competed as teenagers, others did not. We are committed to Masters swimming as a participation sport for anyone, not just an elite. However, we cannot accommodate non-swimmers or those unable to swim several lengths non-stop (for whom the YMCA offers low-cost one-to-one tuition).

• Anyone who belongs to the London Central YMCA - membership enquiries by phone: 020 7637 8131 - is welcome to come along to a session and try us out; aim to arrive at least ten minutes before we need to be on poolside to start the warm-up ... we also have a limited number of free guest passes to use for non-members to swim a session and get to see the facilities.
• There's a special YMCA membership rate for people who ONLY want to join in order to take part in swimming club sessions. It's an annual fee of £86 for one session (which means choosing between Thursdays and Sundays), £172 for two sessions a week. On top of that, there may be a nominal membership fee for Y Swim and there is an ASA registration fee if you wish to compete.
• Guests staying at the adjacent St Giles Hotel, reservations: +44 (0)20-7636 8616, are entitled to swim in the pool at the YMCA free of charge. Hotel guests who are Masters swimmers are welcome to join us for one of our sessions.
• Members of other YMCAs may also be able to visit on a concessionary basis: contact the London Central YMCA to check.

As well as swimming, our club has always been very sociable: we sometimes go out for lunch on Sundays or on visits to the theatre or shows.

Key Links and Contacts

If you're visiting for the first time, you can email Julian Meldrum  to check that we’ll be around.

Our membership form is available here in pdf format (needs Adobe Acrobat).

For more information on Masters swimming and upcoming competitions, check out the Masters section of the ASA's British swimming site.

Our next gala will be the Southern Counties Masters and 19-24 competition at Crystal Palace on 31 January and 1 February 2004 - closing date 3 January 2004.

London Central YMCA. This is the official site which gives information about the wider range of facilities available here.

For information on other swimming pools in Central London (or anywhere else) you might try the excellent Swimmers Guide run by Bill Haverland and Tom Saunders. If you are looking for open air pools, try Oliver Merrington's Lidos site.