Richmond Dales Amateur Swimming Club is to benefit from the generous fundraising efforts of one of the community’s most loved local businesses.
Mick Kirk, owner of Angus Morton Butchers in Richmond Town Centre, has raised £1565 over the past 12 months for the club and is committed to raising even more.
Mick and his team first got involved with Richmond Dales ASC after they discovered the club’s commitment to para swimming. The club has developed a reputation as one of the country’s leading amateur swimming clubs for developing para-athletes and enjoys great success in this arena. This is in addition to its reputation as one of the best all round amateur clubs in the country, having recently been awarded Swim England North East’s club of the year.
Mick says of his donation:
“We’ve been supporting the Para swimmers from Richmond Dales ASC for about a year now. They are such an amazing group of people. Watching them train really puts things into perspective. The squad includes young people with impairments including amputees, cerebral palsy, short stature, intellectual impairments and many other conditions. They swim length after length on their training days, and it’s just amazing what they achieve!
He goes on:
The club has such a good reputation that people come from far and wide to train with the squad, including from Newcastle, Driffield, Selby, Middlesbrough, Hartlepool and Huddersfield – not forgetting the local swimmers too. Supporting them is an absolute pleasure and we wish them all the best in their future endeavours.”
Richmond Dales ASC, which is based out of Richmond Pool and Catterick Leisure centre, has broad provision for swimmers of all ages and abilities. The club enjoys regular mainstream success at County, Regional and National level, and offers excellent programmes for masters and para swimmers also.
The club’s growing reputation as a force to be reckoned with in the amateur para swimming field is evident in some of its recent successes, including three para-athletes being selected to swim as part of Swim England’s para swimming talent programme. Several other members of the para squad will also be heading to Portugal shortly to participate in a specialist development programme. What’s more, the club has recently welcomed the next generation of young para swimmers to the club thanks to it’s successful ‘Start Para’ scheme, a programme supported by Swim England North East.
Keith Hall, Richmond Dales ASC Board Member and Para Coach says:
“The para swimming programme at Richmond Dales ASC is one of the best of its kind in the country, and this is in no small part to the fundraising efforts of generous benefactors like Mick at Angus Morton, as well as other fantastic donors.
He goes on:
Training the next generation of para swimmers is a privilege, but it is also costly. Our para-athletes require specialist equipment and a high ratio of coaches to swimmers. That’s why fundraising for the para squads is one of our top priorities, because we want to ensure that each athlete in the programme has everything they need to fulfil their potential.”