N&D CHAMPIONSHIPS 2026

FINAL WEEKEND

What a brilliant final day of individual racing at the N&D Championships. The energy was high from the first heat to the last, and our swimmers delivered outstanding performances throughout. 

A huge thank you goes to our coaches, team managers and volunteers who kept everything running so well.    And with the Teams event also now wrapped up… watch this space for our full N&D Teams roundup 

The final day of N&D Champs brought a fantastic mix of medals, breakthrough swims and top‑12 finishes across the board. In the Open/Male 100m Backstroke, Lewis powered to gold in the 17/Over category, with Max and Ben both securing silver in their age groups. The event also saw strong swims from Lucas, Joe, Will, Jack, Conan and Ivan.

Our Female 200m Breaststroke squad shone brightly, with Laila and Anna both taking gold in their respective age groups, while Georgia and Hetty added bronzes to the tally. A deep field of finalists — including Ferne, Imogen, Hayden, Louise and others — showed the depth of talent coming through.

In the Open/Male 400m Freestyle, Ben added a well‑earned bronze, backed up by determined swims from Matthew, Joe, Aodan, Will, Conan and Thomas.

The Female 100m Backstroke brought more podium moments, with Tia taking gold in the MC category and Shyla‑Mae and Louise both earning bronze in their age groups. Several teammates — including Ferne, Hayden and Imogen — also secured top‑12 finishes.

The Open/Male 200m Breaststroke saw Max return to the podium with a bronze, supported by a strong group of finalists such as  Peter, Daniel, Matthew, Will and others.

To round off the day, Alice claimed silver in the Female 400m Freestyle (17/Over), with a long list of teammates, from Shyla‑Mae to Emily, pushing through for top‑12 spots and finishing the session on a high.

D&G SPRINT MEET - THANKYOU!

Huge thank you to all the visiting clubs who joined us at yesterday’s Spring Meet.  The racing was fierce, the atmosphere was buzzing, and the support for the Skins events was absolutely brilliant. PBs, season’s bests, qualifying times, and a whole lot of smiles made it a fantastic day all round.

A massive shout‑out to our officials and volunteers. These meets simply wouldn’t happen without you!! 

Thanks to all our visiting clubs for helping make it a fantastic day!  

Visiting Clubs:

Ashington Swimming Club
Billingham Amateur Swimming Club
Boldon CA Swimming Club
City of Sunderland ASC
Consett Amateur Swimming Club
Chester‑le‑Street ASC
Peterlee ASC
South Tyneside Swimming Club
Wear Valley Swimming Club

Now for your diaries 

Saturday 13th & Sunday 14th June 2026 Our next home gala at the Louisa Centre: 

The Summer Medley Meet 

☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️

Meet information is now live and we’d love to welcome you back.

N&D County Championships - Weekend Two

Round-Up

Just like that, Weekend 2 is officially wrapped up — and what a finish it was. Our swimmers continued to impress with numerous outstanding performances, adding to an already brilliant run of racing. Across the sessions we saw a fantastic collection of PBs, a strong group of finalists, and some superb medal‑winning swims that really highlighted the hard work and commitment shown by everyone.

A huge thank you goes out to our incredible coaches, team managers, and volunteers. Your support, organisation, and energy over both weekends have been invaluable, giving our swimmers the platform to perform at their best.

We come together once again at the end of February for the third and final weekend of County Champs — so watch this space. Plenty more racing still to come, and we can’t wait to see what the team delivers next.  Visit our Facebook page to follow the action as it happens.   Results can be found HERE

Best of luck to all D&G swimmers representing their universities at the British Universities & Colleges Sport (BUCS) Nationals Long Course 2026. An exciting weekend of racing ahead, and we’re proud to see so many of our athletes competing on the national stage.

Representing their universities:

Racing has already begun, and you can keep up to date with all the details here: or watch the action live on YouTube: 

Wishing all swimmers a fantastic meet — go smash it.

N&D County Championships - Weekend One

Round-Up

Our swimmers opened the first of three N&D Championship weekends with a brilliant set of performances. Qualifying for this meet is a huge achievement in itself — it places each athlete among the fastest in the county, and everyone who made it to the blocks has already earned something to be proud of.

The racing brought real excitement, with some incredible nail‑biting finishes, bold last‑length pushes, and plenty of moments that had the whole team on edge. Personal long course bests came thick and fast, we saw a fantastic number of finalists and D&G colours were extremely well represented on the podium. Just as impressive was the atmosphere poolside.. The team support was outstanding, with swimmers lifting each other through every race and celebrating every success together.  Special shoutout to our Gold Squad swimmer, Ben, who despite not being able to race, spent the whole weekend supporting his team mates and even presented medallists on Saturday afternoon.  Well done and thankyou Ben!

A huge thank‑you goes to the people who make weekends like this possible.  Our dedicated coaches, the officials who keep racing fair and smooth, and our team managers who hold everything together behind the scenes. We’re also grateful to N&D Swimming for organising such a well‑run event, and to Sunderland Aquatic Centre for hosting at a top‑class venue.

Weekend one is complete, and the momentum is strong. We go again next week, ready for more fast swimming and more great moments. Full results are available HERE

Visit our FACEBOOK page for a full roundup.  

N&D County Championships 

D&G SWIM TEAM QUALIFIERS

A huge congratulations to all our incredible swimming team members who have qualified for the Northumberland and Durham County Championships - an outstanding total of 68 swimmers!

You train day in, day out, pushing through those cold early mornings, tough sets, and every challenge thrown your way, all to achieve those qualifying times. Your commitment, resilience, and passion have brought you to this moment, and you should be immensely proud.

Whether this is your very first County Championships or your tenth, your achievement matters. Every qualification represents hard work, progress, and a love for the sport and every one of you has earned your place on that block!  

Wishing each of you the very best of luck as you step up.   Trust your training, swim with confidence, and enjoy every second of the experience. You’ve earned your moment.

You’ve earned your place — now go out there and make a splash.

Long Course season off to a FANTASTIC start!  

What an awesome weekend of racing to kick off the first long course competition of 2026 

We had swimmers competing from all our squads, and they all stepped up to deliver some impressive performances 

Lots of quality skills, PBs and medals to help us set up ready for the N&D Championships in a couple of weekends time 

Huge thank you to City of Sunderland ASC for putting on another incredible competition 

RECORD BREAKER! 

A HUGE CONGRATULATIONS TO BEN! 

Our swimming club is incredibly proud to celebrate a phenomenal achievement — 

Ben has officially broken the North East Regional Record for Boys in the 200m Butterfly, delivering an outstanding time of 1:58.88.

Ben is no stranger to excellence.  With multiple county records already to his name, he continues to raise the bar and show what’s possible through dedication, discipline, and sheer passion for the sport.

This latest accomplishment is a testament to his relentless work ethic and remarkable talent. Breaking a regional record is extraordinary — doing it with such power and precision makes it even more impressive.

Well done, Ben. Team D&G is behind you every step of the way, and we can’t wait to see where your journey takes you next! 

Newcastle ASC County Qualifier 2026

What a fantastic opening weekend for our 2026 season at the Newcastle Swim Team County Qualifier. 

Every single D&G swimmer at this meet showed heart, determination and absolute commitment — racing with confidence, sharpening their skills, and proving exactly why we're so proud of Team D&G!!   The standard was great! We're very proud of you all!  

Big shoutout to our hosts 

Newcastle Swim Team

for a terrific  for a terrific meet and of course to our own support team of coaches and Team Managers! 

This is how you launch a year — with purpose, passion, and a BANG 

CHRISTMAS MESSAGE FROM HEAD COACH

PAUL WOODLEY 

Dear Swimmers, Coaches, Parents and Volunteers 

As we come to the end of another year, I want to take a moment to say a huge thank you to everyone who is part of the Derwentside and Gateshead Swim Team.

This year has been one to be proud of. Across training sessions, competitions, and team events, I’ve seen outstanding commitment, resilience, and determination from our swimmers. Whether it was achieving personal bests, stepping up to new challenges, racing with confidence, or supporting teammates poolside, every swimmer has contributed to the positive culture we continue to build together. You should all be incredibly proud of what you’ve achieved.

To our swimmers: your hard work, focus, and willingness to push yourselves has not gone unnoticed. Progress doesn’t always come in big moments, it’s built day by day, and this year has shown just how much you are capable of when you stay consistent and believe in the process.

To our coaches: thank you all for your incredible hard work, passion, and commitment to our swimmers. Your support, energy, and dedication make a real difference every day, both in and out of the pool. I’m truly grateful for everything you do and proud to work alongside such a committed coaching team.

To our parents, volunteers, and supporters: thank you for the time, encouragement, and trust you give to the team. Your support plays a vital role in helping our swimmers thrive, both in and out of the water.

Looking ahead to the new year, there is so much to be excited about. New goals, new competitions, and new opportunities are just around the corner. We’ll continue to challenge ourselves, raise standards, and work together to help every swimmer reach their potential. The foundations we’ve built this year put us in a fantastic position for an even stronger year ahead.

For now, I hope you all enjoy the Christmas period, spend time with family and friends, and return refreshed and ready for the opportunities that await us in the new year.

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a happy, healthy, and successful New Year.

I look forward to seeing what we can achieve in 2026.

Warmest wishes,
Paul Woodley
Head Coach

🎓🎓🎓 🎓

D&G Swimmers Shine at BUCS Championships 2025

🎓 🎓🎓 🎓

Pictured Left to right: Peter, Emily, Talia, Evie and Thomas.  

This past weekend, several of our older D&G swimmers proudly represented their respective University Teams at the renowned BUCS Championships. With world champions, record holders, and Olympians also competing, the standard of racing was exceptionally high — making every achievement even more impressive.

We celebrated finals appearances, personal bests, season-best times, and even a medal across multiple events. These results are a testament not only to the talent and determination of our swimmers, but also to their ability to balance the demanding combination of higher education studies and intensive swim training.

Their successes highlight the strength of the D&G swimming community as they continue to make their mark on the national stage.

Huge congratulations to all our university swimmers — your medal, finals, and best times inspire the next generation and reinforce the reputation of D&G swimming at every level!

D&G Swimmers Shine at the 2025 ESSA Championships

Pictured Left to right: Joey, Ben, Daniel and Jack.

 Some of our talented D&G swimmers proudly represented their respective Secondary Schools at the prestigious 2025 English Schools’ Swimming Association (ESSA) Championships.

Powerhouse Performance 

from Our D&G Masters!

A Huge Congratulations  to our incredible 5 D&G Masters who proudly represented Team Northumberland & Durham SA at the Master Inter-County Championships today in Manchester! Your dedication and performance were truly inspiring.

Team N&D secured 3rd place among the five competing counties in Manchester — a fantastic achievement as we eagerly await the final national standings!

A heartfelt thank you to our very own Joan Edwards, whose efforts and organisation made it all possible. Your commitment to N&D is deeply appreciated.

An Outstanding Weekend for D&G Masters at the Swim England National Championships