What's happening
The latest from Northgate Swimming Club — galas, events and club news.
The Shropshire County Championships 2027 run from 23rd January to 7th February 2027. Full details, entry information and results will be published on the Shropshire ASA website.
For quick reference, we've also attached the session schedule, qualifying times and rules & conditions below.
Save the date! The Northgate Annual Club Championships 2026 run from 12th to 20th September at Much Wenlock Leisure Centre. Entries are now open — head to Swim Manager to enter your events before the closing date of 10th September.
Swim Manager – Northgate Bridgnorth SC
Huge congratulations to 13-year-old Rory Yarnley, who was selected to compete at the Aquatics GB Next Gen Championships at Ponds Forge in Sheffield, followed by the Swim England National Summer Meet the following week — swimming the 100m and 200m Backstroke, 200m and 400m Individual Medley, and the 800m and 1500m Freestyle.
Rory's selection follows a superb season: he won his age category at the County Championships, competed at regional championships in Sandwell, and has set multiple club records and personal bests that place him among the UK's top 20 performers for his age in several events.
Head coach Michael Owen said: “Rory trains incredibly hard and deserves this success; his enthusiasm and dedication for swimming is an inspiration for every club member.”
Read the full story on the Shropshire Star.
Northgate swimmers enjoyed a brilliant summer social at Lakeside Adventure Aquapark, taking on the floating inflatable obstacle course on a scorching afternoon. A great chance for the squad to let their hair down together outside the pool — thanks to everyone who came along!
A brilliant turnout from Northgate swimmers and their families at this year's Bridgnorth Walk — thank you to everyone who took part and to everyone who so generously sponsored our walkers. Together we raised an amazing £1,035 via our JustGiving page. Thank you so much to everyone who supported!
Day one of the Swim England West Midlands Summer Championships is done, and it was a fantastic day for Northgate at Sandwell Aquatics Centre — Rory Yarnley walked away with 2 golds and a silver. Well done Rory!
Strong swims too from Will and Kianna, and a brilliant PB at his first Regional event for Olly. Well done to you all!
Full details on the Swim England West Midlands Summer Championships 2026 event page.
Great news for swimmers who train at Much Wenlock Leisure Centre — the pool has been secured for the next decade through a new operational partnership between William Brookes School, the 3–18 Education Trust, Much Wenlock Town Council and Shropshire Council.
The centre, home to a 25m pool, sports hall and gym, had been under threat after Shropshire Council announced it would withdraw funding from 31st March 2026. Under the new arrangement, leisure charity Halo Leisure will take over running both Much Wenlock and Bridgnorth Endowed Leisure Centres from 1st April 2026, for the next 10 years.
Halo's Chief Executive Scott Rolfe said the partnership will “transform services and facilities for the benefit of local residents and get more people more active more often.”
Much Wenlock — the birthplace of the modern Olympic Games — remains one of Northgate's two training venues, so this is very welcome news for our Much Wenlock swimmers and coaches.
Read the full story on the Shropshire Star.
Great swimming from Northgate at the Stourbridge Crystal Open Meet in March 2026, with Olly and Parker crowned top boys in their respective age groups. Well done to everyone who competed!
For Shropshire-based swimming clubs, the start of the year is dominated by the County Championships, and 2026 was no exception for Northgate. The club entered its largest ever team into the event, with every swimmer racing with real distinction across five days of intensive competition.
The headline numbers tell their own story: 60 medals in total (18 bronze, 12 silver and 30 gold), 432 swims across the championships with 126 of these in finals, 217 personal bests — with every competitor achieving at least one — and 15 club records broken across a variety of distances.
Particular congratulations go to Emily Gurr and Rory Yarnley, crowned ‘Top Girl’ and ‘Top Boy’ for their categories. Rory had an incredible championships, winning every event he entered, setting numerous club records and twice beating the county record in the 100m Individual Medley.
Club Chair Rich Homer paid tribute to the swimmers: “Every competitor should feel proud of their efforts and now be full of confidence for upcoming galas. I would also like to thank every volunteer who gave up their time to support the swimmers and contribute to the running of the event — a real team effort.”
Entries are now open for our annual Northgate Diddy Gala — a fun, inclusive gala for Northgate swimmers under 12. The gala takes place on Saturday 28th February 2026, 9am–12pm, at Much Wenlock Leisure Centre.
Events for 8 and under: 25m Butterfly, Backstroke, Breaststroke and Freestyle, plus the 100m Individual Medley. For 9 and over: the same events over 50m, plus the 100m IM.
Enter via Swim Manager — the entry deadline is 20th February.
We're excited to launch northgateswimming.co.uk as the new home for club news, timetables and everything Northgate. Bookmark this page for the latest updates, or follow us on Facebook so you never miss one.
Did you know you can raise free donations for Northgate Swimming Club every time you shop online — at no extra cost to you? Over 8,000 retailers, including many of the big names, will give us a small donation when you shop through easyfundraising.
Just search for “Northgate Swimming Club” on easyfundraising.org.uk (or in the easyfundraising app) to get started — it's completely free and takes a couple of minutes to set up.
We're looking for a volunteer Officials & Qualifications Co-ordinator to help keep our swim meets running smoothly and support our “heroes in white”. The role involves coordinating training and qualifications for our officials and coaches, keeping an eye on certification records and renewal dates, liaising with officials, coaches and governing bodies, and helping make sure events are properly covered.
No swimming experience is needed — just good admin skills and a willingness to learn and support the team.
If you're interested, come and have a chat with a coach or committee member, or email secretary@northgateswimming.co.uk.
Our junior league team were promoted to Division 1 of the Nuneaton Junior Swimming League after a strong 2024 campaign — competing against 40–50 other clubs across three rounds. Great work, Northgators!
