THE CITY of Ely Swimming Club has benefited from a much-needed injection of funds from The Ely and District Round Table and local businesses. The club has been working hard to increase its membership, after suffering a drop in numbers when the pool closed

THE CITY of Ely Swimming Club has benefited from a much-needed injection of funds from The Ely and District Round Table and local businesses.

The club has been working hard to increase its membership, after suffering a drop in numbers when the pool closed for repairs.

As a result, spending on essential equipment had to be placed on hold.

Now, after donations totalling nearly £1,000 from the Round Table, CTN Turf of Sutton, David Clarke and Co of Ely, DB Broadcast of Witchford and Thermo Scientific of Ely, the club has been able to replace the old lane rope reel.

In recent weeks, the lane ropes had been stored on the poolside, but were at risk of getting damaged and so an active fundraising campaign was conducted which very quickly brought in the money to buy a replacement reel.

Club chairman Paul Hill said: "We had to put off spending on equipment while we concentrated on building our club back up over the last few months.

"Now we can look forward, and with the help of these generous donations we can plan for a much brighter future."

The club's next essential purchase is new starting blocks. Any individuals or businesses wishing to offer donations can contact the City of Ely Swimming Club via the website www.elyswimmingclub.org

Ely Swimming Club trains at the Paradise Pool on Mondays (7.30-9pm), Wednesdays (7-9pm), Thursdays (7-8pm) and Sunday mornings (8-10am).