Blackpool Pier Swim

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Blackpool Pier Swim

Get Set 4 Success Ltd Proudly Announce

The 2023 Blackpool Pier to Pier Swim

The Official Annual Blackpool Pier to Pier supported by Blackpool Council will take place on Saturday 9th September 2023 with Sunday 10th September being an alternative should the weather be inclement. ( see updates further below in lead up to the event**). If you want a fun challenge then join this amazing and iconic Open Water Swim between the Three Piers, swimming from North to South Pier in Blackpool’s seaside holiday resort. This swim is a MUST to do for all open water swimmers. There is also a non-wetsuit category.

 

 

Through the Pier Swim Get Set 4 Success Ltd (Events) works to promote LoveMyBeach a charity who along with other partners such as Keep Britain Tidy ensure the cleanliness of our beaches, bathing waters and our wildlife.

For more details go to www.lovemybeach.org

Get Set 4 Success Ltd are not giving out just standard medals…no, certainly not! In fact all finishers receive a fabulous bespoke memento of the occasion along with a t-shirt with a commissioned artist impression on the front. We continue to work very hard to make this Pier Swim one to remember and one that you will continue to return to every year and with friends. Blackpool Pier Swim is a participation event and is proud of its inclusivity.

The Pier swim happened some years ago and was then stopped. Get Set 4 Success Ltd in July 2018 brought back this swim. Julie Bradshaw who was borne and bred in Blackpool worked with her Team and the Event was a huge success. This is a superb stretch of water as you will see in the video above, taken from the inaugural 2018 Pier Swim and below is the 2019 one:

You will start at North Pier and finish at South Pier and all gather together at our beautiful venue, The Sand Castle Water Park to celebrate your achievement. The total distance is approximately 1.6 miles. To get you safely to the start you will travel from South Pier to North Pier in one of Blackpool’s beautiful Heritage trams steeped with history.

And the 2021 swim was amazing:

 

The Blackpool Pier Swim gets amazing reviews each year and swimmers just love it. Here are some including the Blackpool Pier Swim Community Group:

 

Did you know that Blackpool Heritage Trams are a mixed fleet of restored vehicles that run on the Blackpool Tramway, which runs from Blackpool to Fleetwood on the Fylde Coast in Lancashire, England. The line dates back to 1885 and is one of the oldest electric tramways in the world.

 

As you travel to the North Pier, you get to pass by all the wonderful sights on your way such as the Tower and along the Golden Mile. What more could you want in a Swim Event?

 

 

This will take place on Saturday 9th September 2023. The cost for this exciting Event is only £72.50 (**) (refund protection payment optional). Places are limited so please be quick!

AND DOLPHINS WERE SIGHTED AGAIN…AHEAD OF THE 2021 SWIM!

CONTACT us now to book your place

 

To enter directly click on the link to Entry Central below 👇 👇

 

 

 

Stringent Health and Safety rules attached to this Event mean that whilst the event is open to both wetsuit and non-wetsuit swimmers (‘skins’) high visibility safer swimmer tow floats (preferably orange coloured) are mandatory for ALL swimmers. The Blackpool Pier Swim is a fun, participation event which has a non-wetsuit category providing you have suitable open water swimming experience.

By entering you have signed up saying you have two seasons of open water swimming experience and as such the organiser has allowed your entry. Should you choose to not wear a wetsuit, that is your choice and you will be considered to be a seasoned outdoor swimmer with experience in swimming in cold water conditions of under 15 degrees regularly.

During the month of September, the Irish Sea temperature range can fluctuate considerably and the water can be between 11-15 degrees. As such, we ask that if you choose to swim without a wetsuit that you have had the relevant experience in cold open water swimming. However, if you haven’t and are relatively new to the sport, then we ask you wear a wetsuit especially if the temperature is under 15 degrees. If in doubt, ask the Team for advice.

 

Please also visit our Facebook page for the Blackpool Pier to Pier Swim

And our Facebook Blackpool Pier Swim Community Group

 

Open Water Health and Safety Advice

ALL swimmers are asked to adhere to Covid guidelines. You will be asked upon sign up to declare that you and your supporters will abide by the Organiser’s rules in respect of Covid and stay safe rules as per Government guidelines. Should you experience any symptoms (a high temperature or continuous cough), then you agree that you will not attend this event, inform the organiser and stay at home and seek advice by using the 111 service.

Swimming in open water can be arduous and it is very important that every precaution is taken to eliminate risks of threat to health and possible death. Below are a few links that have been written by various organisations. Please read:

 

https://nationalwatersafety.org.uk/advice-and-information/open-water-swimming/

https://www.sta.co.uk/news/2014/06/18/sta-open-water-swimming-advice/

http://rlss.org.uk/water-safety/water-safety/water-safety-in-open-water/

How to reduce the risk of illness when Open Water Swimming (by Public Health England)

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-guidance-on-reducing-the-risk-of-illness-when-open-water-swimming

 

Bathing Water Quality: Please ensure you familiarise yourself with this. (see information at end below)

 

Thanks to Our Partners:

 

 

SCHEDULE FOR THE DAY – SATURDAY 9th SEPTEMBER 2023

Due to the ongoing and ever changing situation with the weather (and covid), the organiser reserves the right to change this (timings and registration including location/format etc) in the interest of safety to everyone involved. 

Timings and schedule are below:

It is anticipated the start time will be around 9.15am due to the tides on the day.

Please read carefully and if you have any questions then just get in touch via our contact page.

 

6.45am: Safety Briefing for Staff & Volunteers (Registration vehicle parked on the Promenade side of the Sandcastle Water Park and to the right of it, South Pier, by the slipway**). This will be clearly marked and have flags too.

 

7 – 745am: Swim Registration South Beach by the Sandcastle Waterpark ** Please use Streetview below if you aren’t familiar with the area.

Promenade, Blackpool FY4 1BB, UK | Instant Street View

Marshalls will be around to post you in the right direction during the day.

 

Please note you will need photo ID to register and to collect your swim items (goodie bag).

 

**The registration vehicle will be on the Promenade North Side (to your right as you face the Sandcastle Waterpark)

Promenade, Blackpool FY4 1BB, UK | Instant Street View

Remote Swimmer Safety Briefing (zoom link to be sent with swimmer final email a few days prior to the event and must be watched before registering.) By turning up on the day and registering you will be deemed to have watched this and understood the details. There will be information also posted on the day to supplement this. The Team will be on hand to answer any questions you may have in relation to the swim event.

Whilst the Sandcastle Water Park is available for refreshments, you are asked to come ready changed (swim trunks/costumes on). Wetsuits can be put on just before boarding the tram or during the journey.

Your number given to you on the day may be the one allocated upon sign up with Entry Central although not guaranteed (do check upon arrival at registration). However, we reserve the right to alter this if necessary, for example if swimmers are unable to make it and/or for any other reason as agreed by the Organisers. Your swim hat will contain the correct number, too.

8-810am Swimmers to board the tram (leaving 8.15am) to the start at North Pier. The tram will be stationed at the Pleasure Beach loop (left as you face the Sandcastle Water Park). Swimmers will be checked in at North Pier prior to the start of the swim.

The tram will return to South Beach with volunteers and any friends of those swimmers needing assistance. Whilst Face masks aren’t mandatory now, please be aware that some people do still wear them (due to certain reasons) so can swimmers be mindful to allow space where possible please whilst travelling on the tram.

Please note there will be only ONE tram journey this year so ensure you have boarded before it leaves at 8.15am.

9am: ALL Swimmers meet by Get Set 4 Success ‘START’ sail flags at North Pier for start of swim and further briefing/updates

 

There will be a TEN and FIVE minute warning signal for the start of the event. Please note you MUST be wearing your Blackpool Pier Swim Cap (provided and numbered) and a safer swimmer/tow float (provide your own) in order to begin your swim. Anyone not wearing this equipment will not be allowed to enter the water.

approx 9.15am  Start of Swim

Swim Finishes (approx 90 minutes after start)

You will have approximately 1.5 hours to complete the course. Anyone who is unable to do so in the time will be pulled from the water by the Beach Patrol and escorted safely to shore.

 

Each swimmer must REPORT to the official at the top of the slipway/registration vehicle upon completion of the swim. Numbers please to be given to the officials before you collect your commemorative plaque. It should be the same official who you checked in with when you registered at (7am) to collect your swim goodie bag, hat and t shirt.

 

A bespoke memento of the occasion will then be handed to every participant completing the course.

 

Here is the course map from a previous event:

 

 

ADDITIONAL PHOTOS, INFORMATION AND UPDATES FOR THE DAY

 

• Each swimmer will be allocated a number which may be the one (not guaranteed) they signed up to on Entry Central. Please ensure you have that printed off and with you, too for registration purposes in addition to your photo ID.

 

• Between the swimmer briefing and the Tram ride to to the start, each swimmer will prepare for the swim. It is advisable that you come ready changed ie. with your swim costume/trunks on. If you are swimming with a wetsuit, this can be put on prior to boarding the tram. Please wear appropriate footwear as this will need to either be left on the tram or worn whilst you swim when you make your way to the start on the beach. Some swimmers do wear ‘shoes’ whilst they swim.

 

• Please be aware because of safety to the Team, you will not be able to ask for your footwear to be taken back to the tram, should you wear them to the beach.

 

• Please ensure you have your own bag labelled so that it is identifiable when left on the tram. Whilst the organisers accept no responsibility for any of your items and valuables, these can  be left on the tram in your bag. The tram for the swim is specifically for use of those involved with the Blackpool Pier Swim Event only (private hire).

 

• Refreshments for swimmers can be purchased in the Sandcastle Waterpark afterwards. There are also plenty of other food and drink facilities in the vicinity.

 

Thank you for your entry. We look forward very much to seeing you in Blackpool. 

 

THE EVENT MANAGEMENT TEAM BLACKPOOL PIER TO PIER SWIM 2023

———————————-

BRIEFING FOR THE 2023 BLACKPOOL PIER SWIM

There will be a link in your final swimmer email to go out a few days before the Event. Here it is, too:

Please ensure you keep an eye out on the website for any updates in relation to the swim. These may change as you can appreciate, due to the weather and various other factors in openwater swimming.

 

Walking from the tram North Pier: Blackpool Pier to Pier Swim

 

*********Bathing Water Quality*********

 

The Environment Agency takes up to twenty water samples at each of England’s designated bathing waters during the bathing water season between May and September each year. A classification for each bathing water is calculated annually based on samples from the previous four years. These classifications are, from best to worst:

 

• excellent – the highest cleanest seas
• good – generally good water quality
• sufficient – the water meets minimum standards
• poor – the water has not met the new minimum standards. Work is planned to improve bathing waters not yet reaching Sufficient

 

If water is classified as poor, then a sign advising against bathing will be displayed. However the beach remains open for people to enjoy.

 

The use of standardised symbols for the four classes, which all countries in the EU have to use at bathing waters across Europe, helps people make informed choices on where to swim when home and abroad

 

A sample tells us the quality of the water at that specific time, but water can change even over the course of one day. In each sample we test for bacteria that indicate whether there isfaecal matter in the water. The bacteria we test for are:

 

• Escherichia coli or E. coli (EC)
• Intestinal enterococci (IE)

 

When more of these bacteria are present in a bathing water there are greater risks to bathers’ health. The standards we use are specified in the Bathing Water Directive and are based on World Health Organisation research which recorded the incidence of gastrointestinal disease (stomach upsets) in people bathing in waters of differing bacterial concentrations.

 

Water quality changes over time, even in the course of one day. This may be due to: These water quality warnings are shown on the main map on the home page, profile pages for individual bathing waters, and the compare bathing waters page. They are indicated by a warning circle icon .

 

• Heavy rain or tides washing pollution into the water that flows into a bathing water from the surrounding catchment. At sites where this is known to occur, this risk is assessed by daily Pollution Risk Forecasts (PRF) and if an increased risk is forecast, a pollution risk warning is issued along with advice against bathing.
• On rare occasions pollution incidents can occur which may affect water quality. If a pollution incident occurs that may affect bathing water quality we will issue advice against bathing. We consider whether the samples counted towards a site’s classification should be suspended during these incidents, in which case the incident is known as anabnormal situations.

 

These water quality warnings are shown on the main map on the home page, profile pages for individual bathing waters, and the compare bathing waters page. They are indicated by a warning circle icon .

 

Water Quality Assessments

 

Designated bathing waters in England have tough water quality targets to achieve.

 

The classifications are based on a detailed statistical analysis of the sample measurements taken over a four year period. If a step change in quality has occurred because of an improvement action such as new sewerage infrastructure, only data collected since the action will be assessed.

 

The analysis groups bathing waters into classifications based on the probability that most of the time concentrations of Escherichia coli (EC) or Intestinal enterococci (IE) will be below classification thresholds, there are no ‘pass’ or ‘fail’ standards. All the samples are combined and the classification is based on a statistical measure, known as the percentile which measures the probability of high results occurring. The classification uses either the 95% or 90% percentile depending on the classification (see below). It’s important to note percentiles are not limits that apply to individual samples

 

The criteria for coastal bathing waters and inland bathing waters are different. The thresholds for classifications are as follows:

 

Classification	Thresholds	Confidence level
Coastal Bathing Waters
Excellent	EC: ?250 cfu/100ml ; IE: ?100 cfu/100ml	95th percentile
Good	EC: ?500 cfu/100ml ; IE: ?200 cfu/100ml	95th percentile
Sufficient	EC: ?500 cfu/100ml ; IE: ?185 cfu/100ml	90th percentile
Poor	means that the values are worse than the sufficient
Inland Bathing Waters
Excellent	EC: ?500 cfu/100ml ; IE: ?200 cfu/100ml	95th percentile
Good	EC: ?1000 cfu/100ml ; IE: ?400 cfu/100ml	95th percentile
Sufficient	EC: ?900 cfu/100ml ; IE: ?330 cfu/100ml	90th percentile
Poor	means that the values are worse than the sufficient

 

Key EC: Escherichia coli, IE: Intestinal enterococci, cfu: Colony Forming Units

 

 

 

For planning purposes the Environment Agency uses unofficial classifications based on these standards for samples collected during years before 2015. These classifications use data collected using different analytical methods for data prior to 2012 and are therefore approximations of the class that the bathing water would have achieved if the new bathing water quality standards had been in force.

 

Prior to 2015, classifications are included on this website to show the history of bathing water quality. These are marked with a p icon. The official classifications before 2015 are based on the old standards and can be found here or on the water quality data pages of this application.

 

If water is classified as poor, then the symbol for “poor” together with a sign showing advice against bathing must be displayed in the following year. A sign displaying a “poor” classification and advice against bathing does not mean bathing is banned or that a beach is closed, beaches remain open for people to enjoy.

 

Short term pollution

 

If a PRF coincides with a routine water sample, it may be classed as Short term pollution (STP). STP is bacterial pollution that occurs at a bathing water and is not expected to last for more than 72 hours. Management actions to deal with STP are designed to help protect the public from predictable pollution of short duration at a bathing water. Compliance samples taken during events which are defined as STP may be removed from the compliance dataset.

 

An additional sample has to be collected by the Environment Agency after the STP event to confirm its end. This end sample cannot be used for classifications.

 

Up to 15% of samples used in the classification data may be removed over the four year period. This discounting assessment is made at the end of each monitoring season and is shown in the data by the discounted field.

 

THE LATEST ON WATER QUALITY – UPDATES

In the days running up to the Blackpool Pier Swim event, updates as to pollution risk warnings for the area are sent. The Council’s relevant officer receives these daily:

25/08/23                                                             As of 02/09/23 Blackpool North, Central & South

 

Due to poor water quality and pollution, the 2023 event has had to be cancelled. An email has been sent out to all swimmers  via Entry Central. Please contact us, if you have any questions.

The next Blackpool Pier Swim date will be published in due course, as soon as the Council confirm suitable dates.

 

DISCLAIMER

 

By reading this information you confirm that you have understood and acknowledge that you recognise there are risks of swimming in open water and that by entering the water on the day you participate entirely at your own risk having agreed to the T&C on all websites. You hereby, aware of these, assume the risks of participating in these events and on your own behalf and on the behalf of your executors, administrators, heirs, next of kin and whomever: – agree to waive any claim and to release and discharge from any claim which you or they may have in respect of death, disability, injury, property loss or damage as a result of or while You are participating in this event, the event organisers, directors, sponsors, officials administrators or volunteer helpers – You shall at all times hereafter agree to fully indemnify and keep indemnified the Company Get Set 4 Success Ltd and Dr. Julie Bradshaw and all other persons mentioned immediately above for any or all liabilities or claims made against them as a result of your behaviour in this event. Said waiver, release, discharge and indemnify to extend to liability for negligence under common or statute law.

 

 

(**) By making payment of £72.50 (+ Entry Central booking fee) for this Event via Entry Central above it is deemed that you have read, agreed and understood all the T&C, rules and information pertaining to this Event. You acknowledge that entry fee and associated costs are non-refundable, to include but not limited to cancellation of the Event due to circumstances outside the control of the organiser and force majeure. In this case your entry fees* may be transferred to either another event or alternative date for the same Event at the discretion of the organiser. Please note however entry fees* cannot be transferred to the same event two consecutive years should cancellation occur for whatsoever reason. In this case, the organiser may reserve the right to discount fees for entry the following year and any discount will be given back the day you swim.

By entering you agree to be bound by all of the above and by registering on the day of the Event it is deemed that you have also read, agreed and understood any and all amended and published T&C, Rules and Event information relevant to the Pier Swim Event and agree to be bound to them.

It is highly recommended that you take out your own insurance to cover you in the case of any eventuality on the day of the swim as Get Set 4 Success Ltd has no responsibility for any costs incurred such as accommodation and travel. Should the event have to be cancelled it is hoped that you would still be able to travel and enjoy the Blackpool area in which the event was planned.

 

ZERO TOLERANCE POLICY

Please note Get Set 4 Success Ltd does not tolerate any of the following:

• Language including swear words, and where the content and tone is threatening in nature
• Derogatory and discriminatory comments of a racial, personal, sexual or religious nature