The 2015 North East Open Water Swimming Championships took place at Salford Quays, Manchester, on Sunday 21st June.

It was not a day for the faint hearted. The swimmers were confronted with extremely rough conditions: rain; blustery wind; and water temperatures just over the minimum of 16 centigrade. Nevertheless, nine YCBC swimmers braved the conditions and there were some outstanding performances.

The younger swimmers, Amy Durant, Ella Fisher, Bethan Morris, and Abigail Young, competed over a distance of 1500m. Ella won a silver medal, a truly impressive performance considering it was her first ever open water swim! Amy and Abigail also swam fantastically, achieving 4th places in very strong fields.

The older swimmers had to complete over a 3000m course. The star performer was Lucy Nicholson, who won her age group and therefore qualified for the National Open Water Championships. George Hogg and Jack Pears-Dorland both achieved 3rd places; Katarina Bonner achieved 4th place; and Matthew Foot put in a strong performance.

Finally, we must give a mention to Pauline Foot, Matthew’s mother, who won the Master’s title!

A big well done goes to all those who took part. It was a fun day out and let’s hope these great performances will encourage even more YCBC swimmers to take part next year!!