Free opportunity for disabled people to get involved in swimming, ahead of world para championships this summer

Ahead of the World Para Swimming Championships in Manchester this summer, disabled people in Northampton have the opportunity to get involved in the sport with this free event.

Three organisations – Northamptonshire Sport, Northamptonshire Federation of Disability Sport (NFDS), and Northampton Swimming Club – are working together once again to bring this accessible event to The Duston School.

Taking place from 10am until midday next Saturday (February 25), anyone with a disability or sensory impairment of any age can attend for free.

Graeme Wilson from Northamptonshire Sport said: “We’ve been running these for 10 years and have seen lots of success.

“Whether they result in us finding potential stars of the future, or teaching more people the vital life skill of swimming, I get a lot of pride and enjoyment from being involved.”

The swimming session is being delivered by qualified coaches who will work with participants who cannot swim to get them started, and assess and improve the ability of those who already can.

Following the session, attendees will be signposted to regular opportunities that are appropriate for their level – whether that be learning to swim, improvers, or club training with the possibility of progressing to a competitive level.

Previous events have been attended by swimmers who went on to join clubs around the country, which has seen them progress to Paralympic, World, Commonwealth, European, and British Championship level.

Andy Sharp director of swimming at the Northampton Swimming Club said: “Having the World Championships in Manchester this year is very exciting and we hope there will be swimmers taking part from the county.

“It’d be great if attendees of our event watch them and become inspired to swim competitively.

“So many who are flying the flag for our county on the global stage did exactly that, by watching the likes of Ellie Simmonds in action in the 2012 Paralympics in London.”

The end of the session will also give attendees the chance to meet local swimming champions, which the organisers hope will inspire them to get more involved in the sport.

For more information, you can contact Graeme from Northamptonshire Sport on 07766991828.

To attend the event, you can book for free by clicking here.