Local developers cause a splash with donation

A South West house builder has committed its support to a local youth club dedicated to training the next generation of competitive swimmers.

Dawlish Swimming Club, founded in 1865, received £1,000 from Persimmon Homes South West’s Community Champions scheme earlier this month.

The club, currently based at Trinity School in Teignmouth as part of a joint venture post-pandemic, has over 100 members from both towns and their surrounding villages. It is non-selective, serving learners, and local and national competitive junior and senior squads. 

They have further ambitions beyond their desire to win more medals and trophies, seeking to be an even more proactively inclusive club, welcoming talent from all local young people aged 4 to 18 years, whatever their abilities and whether they wish to swim for fitness, fun, or competitively.

Persimmon Homes South West is a five-star developer with a significant presence in the area: its 190-house Swan Park site in the north of Dawlish has three, four, and five-bed homes available from £290,000. It is also building nearby in Newton Abbot at existing and forthcoming developments.

The funds come from the company’s Community Champions fund that sees over £700,000 every year donated to good causes and much-valued organisations across Britain. Recent local recipients include Newton Abbot College and Buckland Athletic FC.

Commenting, Stacey Harris – Sales Director of Persimmon Homes South West – said “We’re very happy to support Dawlish Swimming Club and what they provide children in Dawlish, Teignmouth, and the wider area. Its non-selective principles and ambition to expand towards more inclusive classes make them a perfect recipient of our Community Champions scheme, so we had to pick them.

“We’re delighted to have sold all our homes on the first phase of our Swan Park development and look forward to launching the second phase following high demand from local people. With Persimmon’s footprint in Dawlish, Newton Abbot, and other nearby towns, we look forward to seeing new residents and future generations at these developments joining the club in future.”

Mary Twomey, Chair of Dawlish Swimming Club added “We are delighted to have received this donation from Persimmon Homes – once we saw that their development in Dawlish was called Swan Park and our logo is also a swan, we knew there was an immediate connection. The funds will enable us to grow our new Learn to Swim section, to offer fun, affordable swim coaching to more local families. 

“We feel that Persimmon Homes' commitment to championing local communities aligns with our own drive to be a positive local energy. We want to make the benefits and enjoyment of swimming and competitive sport accessible to all. If any young people are interested in joining, regardless of whether they have swum before or would like to compete at a high level, we would encourage them to get in touch with us and come for a try-out session.”