About us

Bridgwater Amateur Swimming Club (BASC) was formed in 1894 by the then Mayor of the town, Councillor Henry Pollard. It is one of the oldest established sporting Clubs in Bridgwater, possibly in the County of Somerset. The Club offers young people the opportunity to swim competitively and enter competitions across the South West and also for swimmers to train regularly or swim for fitness. Training has taken place at a variety of pools including the swimming baths at old Taunton Road and the Broadway Lido, both of which were open air! Presently training takes place at the fabulous state of the art facilities at Trinity Sports and Leisure, as well as at the picturesque Quantock Lodge.

BASC has gone from strength to strength, especially over the last ten to fifteen years, undoubtedly this has been due to the hard work of its members, not only the swimmers but also the volunteers who have given up hours of their own time to help. It is with this continuous support and encouragement that BASC. can grow even stronger.

Affiliated to the Amateur Swimming Association (ASA) and the South West ASA, the club is committed to providing a high standard of swimming coaching in the area. The club implements the ASA National Plan for Teaching Swimming and regularly assesses the development and potential of all swimmers.

The Club achieved the coveted Swim 21 accreditation from the Amateur Swimming Association in November 2006 (updating by revalidation each year). Swim 21 is a ‘quality mark’ which recognises both nationally and regionally, clubs that are committed to providing safe, effective and quality services for the benefit of their members. It provided the framework for all successful swimming Clubs.

The club hosts an Annual Club Championship season where Club members compete for almost 150 trophies and shields, some of which reflect the clubs long history. The season concludes with a presentation evening attended by a large gathering of members and families to celebrate the success of all the swimmers.

The Club is run by a relatively small but committed number of volunteers who devote many hours of their own time to the benefit of club members and the continuity of providing a highly respected Swimming club within the Town.

Click here for further information about our history