REDDITCH SWIMMING CLUB – “BEST CLUB IN BRITAIN”
Redditch
Swimming Club was recently honoured as a National Category winner at the
Amateur Swimming Association’s prestigious ‘Swimtastic’ Awards evening in
Stratford. Two of Redditch’s young swimmers
had the privilege of representing their club at this major national event, held
at the Moat House Hotel. Daniel Strange and Michaela Britt (both nine-year-olds)
took the stage to receive the award for the top ASA-affiliated club, after an
introduction from Central TV’s Charlie Neil, compere for the evening, which
included the accolade “best club in the country”!
The
event began in the afternoon at the Stratford Leisure Centre, with an
opportunity for the youngsters to meet the
numerous swimming stars, collect autographs and pose for photos with them. Daniel and Michaela even got the chance to
swim with sporting heroes like Steve Parry, bronze medallist in the Athens
Olympics, Rebecca Cooke, Adrian Turner, Andrew Lindsay and Sarah Bailey. In a fun session in the pool, overseen by
ex-Olympian Helen Slatter, there were also impressive demonstrations of their
respective sports by Olympic diver Tony Ally and synchronised swimmers Tia
Randall and Louise Woolley. One of the
highlights, however, was a synchro display by Steve Parry!
Further
celebrities joined the group for dinner, including Sharron Davies, who
presented the awards, and current and former British breaststroke record
holders Darren Mew and Marie Hardiman.
The
Redditch group, which also included the young swimmers’ parents Neal Strange
and Chris Britt, both teachers at Redditch SC, were proud to represent their
club at this important event. They had
a highly enjoyable evening, which provided a rare opportunity to mix with some
of the biggest names in British swimming, before dining in the excellent
company of Sarah Bailey (a medallist at the last four Paralympic Games) and
Marie Hardiman.
The
award presented to Redditch Swimming Club represents a tremendous honour for
this long-established club and for the town.