The Black Swimming Association (BSA) has been nominated for the National Lottery Good Cases Project of the Year, the organization announced Wednesday.
The BSA is one of 17 finalists for the award, which recognizes the “inspirational project that do extraordinary things with the help of National Lottery funding.”
The Black Swimming Association promotes the education of communities of African, Caribbean and Asian heritage on water safety & drowning prevention. 🏊🏿
Vote for them in the #NLAwards by tweeting #NLABlackSwimmingAssociation. @BlackSwimAssoc supported by @sportwales. [16/18] pic.twitter.com/t2AhOdw2SE
— National Lottery Good Causes (@LottoGoodCauses) September 7, 2022
The BSA officially launched in March 2020 in collaboration with Swim England to champion inclusivity, representation and diversity in aquatics. Co-founded by Ed Accura, Seren Jones, Danielle Obe and Alice Dearing, the association has the objective of highlighting the value of swimming as an essential life-saving skill and showcasing aquatic opportunities and career pathways for African, Caribbean and Asian communities.
The BSA is currently working in a partnership with Swim Wales with the goal of making swimming and other aquatic sports more ethnically diverse.
The association has also released a series of three film documentaries to shed light on the stories, fears and anxieties minorities have with water.
We’ve been nominated by @LottoGoodCauses for Project of the Year! We couldn’t be happier ✨ be sure to cast your votes here https://t.co/aisxs16pxl Thank you! #Awards #nomination #lottogoodcauses pic.twitter.com/a0pBKrJ8Hi
— Black Swimming Association (@BlackSwimAssoc) September 7, 2022
More than 1,300 organizations were in the running to be named finalists. The full list of 17 nominees can be found below.
- South of Scotland Golden Eagle Project
- Boots & Beards
- Sense Scotland’s Sensatronic Lab
- Amma Birth Companions
- Museum of Homelessness
- Maslaha – Muslim Girls Fence
- Deaffest
- The World Reimagined
- Refuge4Pets
- An Tobar
- The Reconnect Project, It’s Never Too Late
- Youth Together
- The Niamh Louise Foundation
- Millennium Falcon Exhibition
- The Black Swimming Association
- Forget-me-not Chorus
- The Jac Lewis Foundation
Voting, while currently suspended following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, can be found here. It will run through October 7. The winner will receive a £5,000 cash prize for their project.