Can you get on board to help Eastbourne swimmers?

The club began in 1866 and is one of Sussex's leading competitive swimming clubs with teams producing exceptional results at major swimming events throughout the UK.

They have just had one of their most successful years in recent history.

A record number of 40 swimmers qualified for Sussex Championships, swimming in 247 events.

A record-breaking year at the South East Regional Championships saw them have 19 swimmers in 52 events. And they are hopeful this year will be a record for national qualifiers.

These high-stake individual achievements come along with Eastbourne now competing in Division 1 in both the Sussex League and Arena National League – a massive achievement for our Club.

Recently Eastbourne were named Sussex county club of the year.

But the club said: “We are missing one thing – an aquatic scoreboard to give swimmers and spectators immediate times and results.

"Imagine competing in a race and finishing so close to your opponent that no one could tell who touched first. The board is essential to swimmers and spectators.

"Without one our swimmers are having to wait for results. Without one we are unable to host competitions that appeal to the level of competition our swimmers need.”

The club said they had been without a scoreboard at their home pool, The Sovereign Centre, for three years.

They added: “Competitive swimming relies on technology. Frequently our swimmers can be separated by several hundredths of a second and seeing those instant times and placings is a huge part of racing.

"Recently the club has invested in the very latest touch-pad timing systems. While these results are captured by our computer system, it is not instantly accessible to swimmers or spectators.

"We need to be able to publish race results quickly and accurately to the swimmers, their teams and spectators in the gallery.”

All money raised will go directly to purchasing a scoreboard, installing and setting up the system and any upkeep that may be required.

A new scoreboard is going to cost £12,000 and the club have just had a presentation demo of what the scoreboard would look like and the facilities and benefits it will offer.

The club said: “We pride ourselves on being a community club. Most of our members are from the local area and we regularly hold swim events attracting swimmers from all over the county.

“Our club has some of the best swimmers in Sussex and the south east, we also have a large group of volunteers and officials.”

ESC want people to make a pledge, spread the word, get involved and do some fundraising. See https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/eastbourne-swimming-club-new-scoreboard to donate