This page explains the role of a Swim Together Host. There is a different process to setup an outdoor mental health swim group. You can find that page here.

What is a Swim Together Host?

A Swim Together Host is a volunteer that facilitates our Swim Together peer support groups. By this, we mean that Swim Hosts will meet and welcome participants outside of their local leisure centre, give them a quick briefing on the format of the swim (what to expect when you go into the leisure centre, where the changing rooms are, where you will meet once changed, how long the swim will be for and where to meet after you’ve all got dry and dressed) before taking everyone inside for their swim.

The Swim Host not only facilitates the swim, but they are a point of contact for potential participants who might want to find out a little more about Swim Together before they sign up. Swim Hosts also spend a bit of extra time promoting their local group (this might be by using Instagram) and working alongside a contact at the leisure centre to manage participant enquiries and bookings for each meet.

Some of the qualities we look for in a volunteer Swim Host include someone who is:

• • Kind
  • Empathetic
  • Supportive
  • Passionate about making safe and welcoming spaces for people that live with mental illness and mental health challenges.
  • Has lived experience of mental illness or mental health challenges (either yourself or someone you are close to).
  • Welcoming to everybody of all body shapes, ages, sexualities, genders, skin colours and backgrounds.

A Swim Host commits to organising one swim meet up a month for a minimum of 12 months – you will learn more about this in our training process and you will always be supported by our office team.

What support is there for Swim Hosts?

Our office team will always be there to support Swim Hosts through their training and hosting journey. If you need to speak face to face, we can arrange a check-in on Teams with you to talk things through and we will always get back to you as soon as we can when you get in touch.

Swims Hosts will have access to our private online community, Mighty Networks. Here you will be able to chat to other hosts from different locations. It’s a great space for sharing ideas, making friends and asking questions. The office team are also on here if you want to ask a question but don’t want to email.

From time to time we will put on training refresher calls and sometimes have guest speakers, these are typically in the evening and on Teams or Zoom. It’s another opportunity to learn and ask questions.

How do I apply to be a Swim Together Swim Host?

If you are interested in applying to become a Swim Host, please fill in the application form using the link below. Please note, we currently have two routes for setting up a Swim Together group:

•  Health professional PCN organised group
•  Leisure centre organised group

As part of our application process, we would like each applicant to have 2 character references. Ideally one of these references will be from an employer who you have worked with or an organisation you have volunteered at in the past two years. Once you submit your application form, you should ask the two referees to send an email to swimtogether+references@mentalhealthswims.co.uk explaining why you would be an amazing swim host. If you have any queries about this step please drop us an email on the above address.

If you are an individual looking to set up a Swim Together group at your local leisure centre where they are not running one, please give them a link to this page.