2022 is a landmark year for Out To Swim as we mark 30 years since our founding. Throughout the next 12 months we'll be bringing together members, new and old, to celebrate this momentous milestone, honouring our collective history, achievements, and the fantastic community of LGBTQ+ and allied friends we've built together.

Each branch of Out To Swim is planning a celebration that all members are invited to celebrate together. More details about the Out To Swim 30th Anniversary celebrations events, including showcases, give-it-a-go sessions, fun days, competitions and parties, will be revealed soon, alongside a host of other surprises.

Out To Swim members and friends across all the country will be able to join in the celebration. We'll keep you up to date as events are finalised, but you can sign up with the button below to subscribe to our events calendar to be the first to hear about plans for the celebration.

Upcoming Events

30 Years of Pioneers

Back in 1992 a handful of swimmers came together in London to form a club inspired by their experience at IGLA Los Angeles 1991. This new club aimed to provide an inclusive and safe environment for the LGBT+ community to take part in a healthy and structured swimming programme that would be open for all.

Aiming to challenge the stereotypes of weak, effeminate gay men and short-haired, masculine lesbians, Out To Swim allowed members to come together to train and compete, presenting a positive image of the LGBT+ community at a time when very few positive role models existed. With one founder member being HIV+, a core principle was providing a non-discriminatory space when many HIV+ people faced exclusion and harassment in traditional aquatics clubs.

Today Out To Swim stands as one of the world's foremost LGBTQ+ sports clubs. With three locations, four disciplines and over 500 members, we are a powerhouse within UK aquatics, regularly topping league tables and rankings. Our programmes continue to grow to provide lessons to those who've never swum before, want to learn artistic swimming or try water polo to members who take on world titles.

As a charity, our history drives us forward. Continuing to build inclusivity in aquatics for people of all backgrounds, offering a safe space for everyone to get involved, whether for fitness, competition, socialising or the pure love of swimming.

Out To Swim has and will always be made by the fantastic members that push the boundaries of sport to build the amazing community we’re all part of today. We can’t wait to celebrate this with every one of you!