Alice Dearing visits club that gave Matt Richards his start
A sharp increase in the number of people taking up swimming in the UK can be linked directly to the nation’s sporting successes in the pool, the former Olympic marathon swimmer Alice Dearing has said.
Speaking on the day Team GB’s Matt Richards won a silver medal in the 200m freestyle event at Paris 2024, Alice said, “It’s amazing to see so many people getting involved in the sport.
“Hopefully we can continue to inspire more people to get into swimming, whether that’s in a competitive light or just for fun. It’s great to see.”
Alice made her comments at Perdiswell Leisure Centre, a National Lottery-funded facility which is home to Worcester Swimming Club. The club is where 10-year-old Matt’s talent was first noticed and developed. It set him on a course to the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics where he was part of the first British team to win the 4x200m relay since 1908.
Mark Stowe, Matt’s former coach and the head coach of Worcester Swimming Club, said swimming clubs were essential to the development of the sport at both the grassroots and elite level. He added that funding made possible by National Lottery players helps such clubs stay afloat.
Mark said, “We’ve received £5,000 over the last few years from The National Lottery, which helped us expand our Learn to Swim offering. Perdiswell Leisure Centre also received over £2Million in 2017 to go towards the redevelopment of the facility, which means our young swimmers have somewhere first-class to develop their skills.”
Alice agrees that the funding made possible by National Lottery players has made a significant difference to her sport. She added, “None of what we see today would be possible without the investment from The National Lottery, who have transformed the sport in the UK with more than £500Million invested into aquatics at all levels since funding began. Not only has that been a big reason for our nation’s success, it has also opened up opportunities for people of all ages across the country to really have a go and enjoy the sport.”
Thanks to National Lottery players our Olympic and Paralympic athletes are supported to live their dreams and make the nation proud. With more than £30Million a week raised for Good Causes, The National Lottery has enabled the UK to become a global force in aquatics and has provided more opportunities for people inspired by athletes like Matt to take part in the sport.
1st August 2024
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