My First 100 Days As CEO at The BSA

Last week marked my first 100 days as CEO at The Black Swimming Association (BSA) and what a brilliant introduction it's been...

I’ve had the privilege of meeting the brilliant BSA team, participants, co-founders, board members, and both new and long standing partners and funders across England and Wales. These conversations have been invaluable in helping me understand the charity’s origins, the journey it’s on, and the impactful work that has brought us to where we are today.

One of the true highlights has been witnessing delivery of BSA’s award-winning water safety programme, Together We Can™️(TWC). Delivered by Jo Melchior, Lee Bailey and Bobbi-Jo Allen in London, and coordinated in Wales by Steph Makuvise, the programme provides vital water safety knowledge and skills to underserved communities. Seeing the impact on participants first-hand has been both inspiring and energising.

BSA Wales captured two awards: the Wales Ethnic Diversity Sports Awards (WEDSA) Inclusive Sports Award and the Diversity and Inclusion Award at SWIM WALES for promoting water safety in Wales.

Another significant milestone has been the Find Your Float research, led by BSA and conducted by the University of Portsmouth with the RNLI. Involving 100+ participants from African, Caribbean and Asian communities, the study proved that bone density does not determine floating ability - dismissing damaging, generational myths that persist across society. The findings show that everyone can float once they learn the right technique, or “find their float”.

The release of the research coincided with BSA Co-Founder and Head of Marketing and Comms Seren Jones’ powerful documentary, Yn Fyw yn y Dŵr (Alive in Water) on BBC iPlayer, which explores the origins of these myths and drowning prevention education.

One thing you may not know about BSA is our deep commitment to research and insight as a primary way to evidence, shape and strengthen our programmes and strategy. It’s incredibly motivating to work for a charity that places learning and continuous improvement at the heart of its mission.

Working alongside Damian Stevenson and Wesley Thomas has been inspiring and insightful - having a team that rigorously analyses data and highlights inequities in the aquatics sector is a constant reminder of our purpose. Understanding Jibreel Salaam’s social media strategies, which amplify and translate our work into compelling, scroll-stopping content, has been a real pleasure.

A final shoutout to our wonderful board of trustees: Danielle Obe, Will Barkway, Alice Dearing OLY and David Wightman. With so many passionate people involved and such meaningful work underway, I’m delighted to be leading the next chapter of the BSA.

If you’re interested in collaborating, or would like to learn more about the BSA, please get in touch, visit our website, follow us on socials, or sign up to our mailing list.

Sincerely,

Kerry Downes