Party as Seals club celebrates 60 years
ASWIMMING club which has been teaching people to swim for 60 years celebrated with a party for its members.
Founded in 1957, the club is for anyone with disabilities who wants to swim, with Paralympian Dame Sarah Storey as its patron.
The club marked its momentous anniversary with a celebratory evening at Macclesfield Town Hall – exactly 60 years after the inaugural meeting to set up the club in 1957 at the same venue.
Ron Gill, who has been chairman of the club for 37 years, says it is hugely popular because everyone is treated the same.
He said: “It’s good because we are dealing with people with disabilities but we treat everyone the same, regardless of their ability when they come into the club.
“We’re a fun club, we have 30 minutes of swimming and 30 minutes of playing.”
Ron joined the club in 1981 after losing a leg in a motorcycle accident.
He said: “We all have something to work towards. I went along because I wanted to learn to swim, and I was euphoric when I swam my first mile. The party was a great celebration of our 60 years.”
Almost 100 members past and present joined the party at the town hall, including mayor of Macclesfield Councillor Alift Harewood-Jones MBE.
A message from Dame Sarah Storey was also read out, in which she sent her congratulations and apologised for not being able to attend the event due to cycling commitments.
Wendy Moss, the club secretary, gave a brief history of the club and of her involvement and acknowledged all the volunteers past and present who had made the running of the club possible.
The club, which is a registered charity and has about 50 members, has a poolside chair-hoist to help people with mobility problems enter the pool comfortably.
It relies on donations and grants to keep running. Volunteers, often young people who are taking part in the Duke Of Edinburgh scheme, also help run the sessions.
The club meets on a Friday evening at Macclesfield Leisure Centre.
To join the club, make a donation or find out about volunteering, visit www. macclesfieldseals.org.