Swim Training Sessions

Alex Thomas is an ex-competitive swimmer, qualified swimming teacher and coach, lifeguard, Rookie Lifeguard instructor and one of your Lido Duty Managers.

Gina Deave was a competitive indoor swimmer as a youngster, and a qualified level 2 swimming instructor teaching a variety of ages and abilities. These days, she favours outdoors and distance swimming (completing a Channel relay in 2022) and has more recently qualified as an Open Water swim instructor.

Having suffered a debilitating back injury in 2020, Gina qualified as a APPI Pilates instructor. She aims to incorporate the fundamental Pilates principles into her swimming teaching sessions to ensure efficiency in the water, muscle strength and endurance as well as injury prevention and rehabilitation.

Paul Talan has loved the water since having been thrown into a lake by his father at the age of two. He has swam the all his life while teaching swimming and life guarding. He is a recognised swimming coach through Swim England and draws from over 30 years of working in education to support his practice. He is an active open water swimmer and enjoys random forays into any body of water that he comes across while travelling with his family, whether he has a bathing suit or not, much to the chagrin of his children.

Paul’s approach to swimming focusses on developing strength, endurance and comfort in the water. His sessions always include friendly developmental feedback on technique and every session will provide swimming drills that are different, challenging and fun.

Sarah Wolfenden comes to South London Swimming Club with over ten years’ experience teaching swimming to all levels, from nervous beginners through to competitive level. She was previously head swimming instructor/manager for Wandsworth and Balham Leisure Centre’s. Sarah is also a lifeguard trainer for the RLSS.

Sarah trained as a diver at Crystal Palace but it was her discovery of Tooting Bec Lido, first as a parent and winter swimmer and then as a lifeguard and duty manager that put her on course for a career in teaching and coaching swimming. She says she can be a bit obsessive about technique but her training and coaching sessions are all about fun, friendship, and fine-tuning the way we swim. Individuals can also look forward to useful tips on improving or correcting their stroke.

Club only membership costs £72 (£46 for 19-25 year olds).

If you are not a member, but would like to join the South London Swimming Club, please check our membership page. Club only membership should be taken out in advance.

Club only membership to SLSC entitles you to:

• improve your swimming at our indoor training sessions from September to May and our open water training sessions at the Lido from June to August
• water polo evening sessions in June and July
• reduced fees for open Club events, such as the Aquathon series and the Cold Water Swimming Championships
• reduced fees when you join the British Triathlon Federation (BTF). SLSC is affiliated to the BTF, look for South London Swimming Club when you select your club.

What club only membership does NOT entitle you to:

• Free entry into Tooting Bec Lido.
  You must pay entry to the Lido during normal public opening times. This is £9.60 per swim, concessions available, to swim at the Lido from April to September only. You do not need to pay entry to the Lido when attending coached sessions, galas, 119-length challenge or parties as they are held out of normal opening hours. You will need to pay to enter the Lido to swim in the Sunday morning races.
• You cannot swim through the winter, from October to March, when the pool is closed to the public. You cannot use the club sauna in the winter.
• You can add an SLSC Annual Lido Pass to your Club membership which allows you to swim at the Lido as often as you like whenever the Lido is open.