I suspect that most people can appreciate that training for a big swim like a channel relay or solo is a life changing experience. What you may not realise is that volunteering to support people training for a big swim is also a magical experience. You get to be part of a very special journey. You witness the highs and the lows, the doubts and the milestone moments.

We rely on volunteers to enable our sessions to operate.

Types of volunteer beach crew

We recognise that the role of a volunteer can be daunting if you’ve not done it before. As such we have created a structure for our volunteers that means that there is a place and a pathway for you.

There are three levels of Beach Crew within our weekend training structure:

Level 1: Key support
Level 2: Overall lead for the session

All our volunteers work together in order to make the session work for our swimmers.

The atmosphere on the beach is second to none and that is because of our vibrant community. Our training environment works so well because we help each other. Outside of our formal volunteer network are those people who rock up and help on the day. Whether that is forming celebratory arches for swimmers at the end of long swims, or helping out at feeding time, you are a key part of why DCT has the reputation that it does.

As these volunteers are not planned in advance, there are limitations in what they are able to do as they will not have had the training and induction that our level 1 & 2 volunteers have. As such they will not be asked to act alone, nor will they be involved in aspects such as applying grease to swimmers.

Level 2 Volunteers

Our level 2 volunteers run the show on the day. They have the overall responsibility for running a safe training session. These volunteers will plan the day and the duration for each swimmer, they will alter the plan as required and they will operate training in line with our overall principles of training.

These volunteers will have operated at level 1 in the past are likely to have extensive experience in one or more of the following areas:

Personal experience of solo and / or relay events
Health & safety
Coaching / training others

You can download a copy of the role profile here which details the key roles & responsibilities and key attributes (available shortly).

There will always be at least 1 level 1 volunteer present during a training session. They are likely to be wearing a pink polo shirt (unless there is a special theme!)

Level 1 Volunteers

Our level 1 volunteers support the level 2 volunteers in the practicalities of running the session. They will assist with greasing swimmers, feeding soloists and keeping an eye on all swimmers in the water and on the beach.

You can download a copy of the role profile here (available shortly).

Level 1 volunteers are likely to be wearing a turquoise polo shirt (unless there is a special theme).

Find out more

If you’d like to find out more about what is involved in volunteering within DCT, please contact Emma in the first instance. Our Community Manager will take over in due course.

Key areas to note for level 1 & 2 volunteers:

You will be required to provide a basic DBS check certificate
We will provide lunch & refreshments on days that you volunteer
For those volunteers who provide a lot of support, we are open to discussing financially supporting formal training in areas such as beach lifeguard, open water coaching, kayaking etc.

Frequently asked questions

Why do you require a DBS check?

Our support sometimes includes training children. We do also have some swimmers who fall into the legal description of ‘vulnerable’. We deal with delicate subjects such as applying grease to swimmers who are modestly dressed. We sometimes are required to assist swimmers to get changed should they struggle to change independently quickly enough due to the impact of cold water. Therefore, most swimmers can develop transient vulnerability at some point in their training. As such, we have a duty of care to ensure that our key volunteers have basic checks in place in order to protect our swimmers and our volunteers.

Will I be paid?

No, these are voluntary positions. We will cover a basic lunch and refreshments during the training day.

We will reimburse any relevant expenses as set out in our volunteer handbook or those agreed in advance.

What training do you provide?

We provide a combination of online, in person and on the job training. We expect our volunteers to confirm that they have read our codes of conduct and agree to act within them.

Where a volunteers is progressing from one level to another, we would expect that they would first shadow a volunteer at that level and would have the support of a volunteer at that level or above should they have any questions as they develop in their role.

Additional learning & knowledge helps us to continually progress and understand how we can continue to improve. We would consider supporting the funding of qualifications for any level 1 or 2 volunteer who provides a lot of support to DCT. It would be particularly helpful if we share our learnings between us. Courses that we have funded in the past include:

RLSS Beach lifeguard
Level 2 Open Water Coach (STA or Swim England)
Powerboat 2 or kayaking
Food hygiene

Can I volunteer?

Volunteers come from all sorts of backgrounds and we find the best volunteers are those who:

Love to help others
Are training for a big swim themselves and want to see it from the other side (you often come to realise that any personal battles that you’re facing are also being faced by other swimmers!)
Are crewing for someone and want to understand what’s involved
Are partner / family of a swimmer and want to be more involved