SIG Roofing donation supports inclusive swimming provider

Richmond Dales Amateur Swimming Club (ASC), located in North Yorkshire, has received a generous £3000 donation from SIG Roofing to support its fully inclusive performance swimming development provision.

(L-R): Kneeling Front: Coach Keith Hall, Coach Zoe Cowan, Back Row: Graham Jennings – SIG, swimmers Archie Hare, Isla Lewis-Brown, Coach Kylah Cowan, Sophia Newton, Emil Mason, Lucy Scott. In the water - front: Maisie Catt, William Lake, Jack Waikari, Tomas Davies.

Richmond Dales ASC was established almost 50 years ago and now boasts over 155 members, many of whom perform at national and regional level. The club offers broad provision for swimmers at all stages of their journey, from those graduating from learn to swim programmes, all the way through to those who are competing at national and international level. What sets the club apart from other ASCs is its focus on catering for swimmers with a physical or intellectual impairment. Over the years, they have developed a Para Squad consisting of 19 children, making it one of the largest of its kind in the country.

"We are extremely proud of our Para Squad, which is regarded as one of the best of its kind in the country," said Keith Hall, Development Officer and one of the Richmond Dales swimming coaches. "Running a swimming club incurs many costs, but the expense has increased as our para-squad has grown, so we rely on local business donations and sponsorships for funding to keep parent fees to a minimum. We hold many of our training sessions at Richmond Swimming Pool, but now also at the Catterick Leisure Centre, where access is much easier for all our swimmers but the costs at this facility are higher. We also need to increase the coaching level to a coach for every 4 swimmers to support our Para Squad, ensuring we tailor our training to suit individual needs and maximise performance. The generous donation from SIG Roofing is much appreciated, allowing us to continue this important work."

The club has several swimmers who recently attended the GB Summer Championships at the Ponds Forge Swimming facility in Sheffield between 20th and 26th July. These included Maisie Catt and Archie Hare, both from the club's Para Squad, who also competed at the British Olympic Trials in April. During the competion in Sheffield, which is seen as the pinnacle of the swimming season in Great Britain, Archie Hare broke the British Record in his para-swimming classification for the 100m breaststroke, making him British Record Holder.

Northern Division Managing Director at SIG Roofing, Graham Jennings, attended a recent training session at the club to observe the swimmers in action. He explained, "Seeing the level of swimming and the hard work the mainstream squads and para squad put into their training was very impressive." Graham also shared that they became aware of this swimming club and its achievements through their local SIG Roofing Middlesbrough branch. This branch's customer, Barclays Roofing, has staff with children who swim at the club. Graham emphasised the importance of supporting local initiatives like this, stating, "They are doing some great work, and it's been a real honour to meet a selection of the club swimmers during their training.”