Congratulations to Regional Award Winners

Inspirational Athlete Award

This Award recognises participants across all disciplines from age 12 years and over.

Finalists - Abigail Daly, Devonport Royal

                Suzanna Hext, Swindon ASC

Winner - Suzanna Hext, Swindon ASC

Short extract from Suzanna’s Nomination 

Suzanna’s  ability to inspire others in all areas of life, not just swimming, is heartwarming. Suzanna is a well recognised Para swimmer but has remained admirably upbeat through a particularly challenging few years since she had a riding accident in 2012

The last two years have been some of the most difficult leading into the Olympics in Tokyo. However,throughout lockdown Suzanna continued to smile and train, turning her  sitting room into a gym and swimming in the sea  She endured two major ear operations and had a spell in hospital with a nasty infection.

However,Suzanna continued to put a positive message out on all her social media channels. Suzanna has a wonderful smile which lights up a room despite struggling with the everyday debilitating affects of her spinal injury.

Suzanna is eternally grateful for being given a chance to live her life, despite everything.

Inspirational Volunteer Award

This Award recognises volunteers over the age of 18. 

Finalists - Emma Dodd, Soundwell SC

                Sara Dilks, Tiverton SC

                 Lynne Sissons, City of Bristol SC

                 Ben Mullen, Bristol Penguin Olympic 

Winner - Ben Mullen, Bristol Penguin Olympic 

Short extract from Ben's Nomination 

Following the cessation of swimming through the various lockdowns Ben has played an instrumental part in our club. Ensuring the club had coaches meant that Ben ensured that every swimmer was available to access Zoom-based land training during all the lockdowns, moving to 'real' land training as the lockdown restrictions were released. Ben negotiated with the pools that we use pool time as soon as re-opening was on the horizon, and ensured that we had appropriate safety plans communicated with pools, coaches, swimmers and volunteers. Some pools we use were not re-opening and Ben negotiated with some of the pools additional time to minimise the loss of training time for swimmers of all abilities. Following on the resumption of swimming Ben played a leading part in ensuring we ran Level X events to re-engage swimmers, then our club championships.

Ben expanded our open water provision for this year, and stepped in to coach when the open water coaches were not available. Without Ben's efforts we risked losing swimmers across the different squads, at each round of lockdown - thanks to Ben's efforts we retained most swimmers, and took on new members who were waiting for the resumption of swim training but pleased that they could access the virtual land training as an interim measure.. Without Ben's efforts we risked losing swimmers across the different squads, at each round of lockdown - thanks to Ben's efforts we retained most swimmers, and took on new members who were waiting for the resumption of swim training but pleased that they could access the virtual land training as an interim measure.