Saffron Walden Swimming Club (Saffron Seals) was formed in November 1911 as a Water Polo Club. At that time the club’s base was the Town Baths in Hill Street, Saffron Walden, where they stayed until the Baths closed in 1982. Below is a photo of the Water Polo Squad in 1911.
Photograph kindly provided by Saffron Walden Town Library
The Club moved to the Lord Butler Leisure Centre in 1986, and in 1987 became known as Saffron Walden Swimming Club, also known as Saffron Seals.
Over the years SWSC have produced some very good swimmers -particularly Vivienne Meyrick, a backstroke swimmer who represented GB in the Commonwealth Games in 1954, and George Peasgood (Paralympian, Tokyo 2020). Also, many notable names in Saffron Walden have been Club members and our Head Coach (David Lowe) has an Olympic Bronze medal (Moscow 1980) and was the first British male to swim 100m freestyle in under 50 seconds (1983).
Saffron Seals swimmers regularly achieve qualifying times for County and Regional championships and annually a large contingent travels to the Essex Age Group Championships, with a growing number qualifying to compete in East Region Championships.
Seals takes part in the Saffron Walden Carnival, organised every 3 years by the Round Table, and looks to stage or take part in various fundraising events throughout the year.