Platypus Swimming Club awarded Sport England funding

Platypus Swimming Club in Hatfield has been awarded a Sport England Grant of over £4,500 through the Hatfield Community Sports Fund to help continue their work with disabled adults and children.

Hatfield Community Sports Fund, working in partnership with Funding 4 Sport, offer a free bid writing support to not-for-profit clubs and organisations within Hatfield to help them secure funding to support their work with people with disabilities, including purchasing new equipment, attending training to strengthen existing provision, or creating new offerings for disabled people.

The initiative is part of the No Limits 2026 – Hertfordshire’s Year of Disability Sport and Physical Activity programme, which aims to break down barriers and create lasting change in how disabled people access and experience sport and physical activity in Hertfordshire. The programme’s goal is to make it easier for disabled people of all ages to find, join, and enjoy sport and physical activity, no matter who you are or your current activity level.

Successful applicants get the opportunity to work with Funding 4 Sport who will help draft bid submissions to Sport England and the National Lottery, including submissions for large-scale grants of £10k or above.

The Platypus Swimming Club successfully secured funding of £4,143 from Sport England to provide support with essential costs including pool hire, DBS checks and first aid training.

Platypus Swimming Club is a long-established charity in Hatfield providing inclusive, low-cost swimming opportunities for disabled adults and children, and those with long-term health conditions. The club delivers weekly two-hour sessions at Hatfield Swim Centre, offering exclusive use of a fully accessible pool to create a welcoming and supportive setting for participants who don’t feel comfortable in public sessions.

Cllr Max Holloway, Executive Member, Community and Leisure, said:

“I am delighted that we were able to support Platypus Swimming Club with their successful bid for funding from Sport England.  Clubs like Platypus provide a vital service to our disabled residents, young and old, through sport and physical activity. Thank you to everyone at Funding 4 Sport for their help and advice with this funding application.

I would encourage other local clubs and organisations to check the council’s website for more information on how the Hatfield Community Sports Fund can help them secure financial and other support for their activities. This will help us reach as many disabled people as possible through sports and physical activity.”

Chairman of Platypus Swimming Club, Graeme Rollings, said,

"We were delighted to receive this grant from Sport England, which will enable Platypus Swimming Club, now in its 60th anniversary year, to continue providing fun and inclusive swimming sessions for its members.  We would like to thank Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council for their help with funding the bid-writing process which resulted in the award of the grant."

If you are eligible, you can submit an expression of interest to be considered for the free bid writing service.

To check your organisation’s eligibility and to find out more about submitting your interest, please see https://www.welhat.gov.uk/hatfield-community-sports-fund then click on Hatfield Community Sports Fund Bid writing opportunity.