A local swimming club is appealing for local businesses to provide raffle prizes to help raise money to support its training.
Hoylake ASC (HASC), which was established in 1931, is run solely by volunteers and operated on a not-for-profit basis.
The members train at The Concourse, which the club helped to build, and at Calday Grange swimming pool.
HASC will hold its Club Championship in April and is fundraising for money to help pay for club costs, such as pool hire, competition expenses and equipment, to stop membership fees from rising.
Tricia Birch, chair of HASC, said: “For nearly 100 years, Hoylake Amateur Swimming Club has been a quintessential part of life in the Wirral.
“We are very proud to have trained some terrific local athletes over the decades, helped countless swimmers achieve their goals, and through our early fundraising efforts many years ago, raised more than £25,000 to aid the council in building the indoor pool at what became The Concourse.
“The club has focused on competitive swimming for almost forty years and we have a friendly but competitive spirit.
“As we prepare for our Club Championships in April, we are appealing for help to raise money so we can do more for our swimmers without increasing costs for families.”
The original club base for the HASC was the Hoylake Outdoor Pool, which was newly renovated in 1931, and before and after World War II the club presented spectacular galas and star-studded amateur championship events.
The attendance at the first gala was estimated to be around 4,500 and HASC enjoyed 40 years of outdoor galas at Hoylake Pool, which was so popular during the summer up to 12,000 bathers would descend on the promenade.
The seasonal weather began to hinder the HASC’s efforts to maintain a calendar of successful galas by 1967 and the Hoylake Indoor Pool Organisation (HIPO) was formed.
Fundraising events, including dances, weekly lottery draws and sponsored swims, HIPO had raised £25,000 by 1975 and handed the money over to the council to bolster their plans for a new pool in West Kirby, which became The Concourse.
The HIPO emblem remains in the tiled floor at the shallow end and Hoylake ASC has been based at The Concourse since 1976 and its members train year-round for competitions.
Lee Murphy, founder of Birkenhead-based The Accountancy Partnership, who donated a luxury hamper from Fortnum & Mason for the raffle at Christmas, said: “Hoylake ASC will be celebrating its 100th anniversary at the beginning of the next decade.
“The club has been an important part of the Wirral community for almost a century and the work done by its members 50 years ago resulted in what remains one of the most popular leisure centres on the peninsula.
“The impact the club has had on children and families who have visited The Concourse, made new friends and enjoyed the health benefits over the years cannot be overstated.
“As a local business, we are very proud to show our support and encourage other businesses to offer raffle prizes if they can help the club, which is the backbone of community spirit on the Wirral.”
The gala team can be contacted via email hoylakegalas@gmail.com by anyone who wishes to donate a raffle prize.
