Eastbourne parents complete fundraising walk for new diving board

A group of parents has walked 10 miles to help raise money to install a new diving board at an Eastbourne leisure centre.
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A group of parents has walked 10 miles to help raise money to install a new diving board at an Eastbourne leisure centre.

The board at The Sovereign Centre has been broken since October 2020, according to the Eastbourne Swimming Club diving secretary.

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Stuart Barr, whose son has been diving ‘for a number of years’, said 10 people took part in the sponsored walk over the Seven Sisters.

Supporters of the Eastbourne Swimming Club following their sponsored walk SUS-210610-165840001Supporters of the Eastbourne Swimming Club following their sponsored walk SUS-210610-165840001
Supporters of the Eastbourne Swimming Club following their sponsored walk SUS-210610-165840001

Parent Angus Wingfield, whose son Archie was part of the club, also took part in the sponsored walk.

He said, “We started at the Seven Sisters car park and then we finished at the Sovereign Centre.

“It was quite a challenging walk, especially for the older and the younger ones.

“We need to raise about £10,000.”

Supporters of the Eastbourne Swimming Club during their sponsored walk SUS-210610-165828001Supporters of the Eastbourne Swimming Club during their sponsored walk SUS-210610-165828001
Supporters of the Eastbourne Swimming Club during their sponsored walk SUS-210610-165828001

Mr Wingfield said the group raised £1,200 from the walk.

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Mr Barr added, “Without a replacement board the club cannot continue.

“Children who are inspired watching Tom Daley on TV at the Olympics (as my son was) or the forthcoming Commonwealth Games in Birmingham – whether from Eastbourne or as far away as Brighton and Hastings – will have no way of getting started in the sport.”

Eastbourne Borough Council lead cabinet member for tourism and enterprise Councillor Margaret Bannister said, “We are pleased to support this fundraising initiative.

“The diving group at Eastbourne Swimming Club are key users of the diving pool and although the three metre board is still available and the most widely used by the diving community, the one metre board is no longer suitable for safe use.

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“We would love to see this back in action and welcome any funding support that may help return it back to future use for beginners at the club.”