Swim England North East is delighted to announce its 2026/27 Regional Award winners – celebrating the inspirational volunteers, coaches, officials and clubs who give so much to make aquatics thrive across our region.
From helping a club survive without a home pool, to creating opportunities for people who might otherwise never experience aquatic sport; from developing future international athletes to simply making a nervous young swimmer feel that they belong – this year’s winners demonstrate the incredible breadth of impact that people within our aquatics community can have.
The awards recognise seven outstanding individuals and one exceptional club:
🏆 Volunteer of the Year – Lisa Hesling, South Yorkshire Swans
🌟 Young Volunteer of the Year – Ruby Wilson, Beverley Barracudas
🌊 Participation & Community Coach of the Year – Matt Birch, Rotherham Metro Water Polo Club
🏊 Children/Age Group Coach of the Year – Craig Wilson, BOSSS
🚀 Talent Development Coach of the Year – Steven Cropper, City of Leeds Swimming Club
⏱️ Technical Officer of the Year – Kevin Rand, Richmond Dales ASC
🏆 Club of the Year – Tynemouth Amateur Swimming Club
The winners of the individual categories will now progress to the Swim England national awards process, where regional winners from across the country will be considered by the national judging panel. The top three in each category will be invited to the One Swim England Summit and Awards at The Vox, Birmingham, on Friday 12 March 2027, where the national winners will be announced.
But before we look ahead to the national awards, we want to celebrate what makes our North East winners so special.
🏆 Volunteer of the Year – Lisa Hesling, South Yorkshire Swans
Lisa Hesling is the kind of volunteer who makes a club more than just a place to train.
Her contribution to South Yorkshire Swans has helped create a club where artistic swimmers can develop, compete and achieve, but also feel supported and part of something.
The Swans may be a relatively small club, but their impact is significant, with their swimmers continuing to make their mark at regional and national level. Behind that success is an enormous amount of voluntary commitment.
Lisa represents the countless hours that volunteers give to aquatics that are rarely visible – organising, supporting, encouraging, solving problems and making sure that swimmers have the opportunity to enjoy their sport. What makes volunteering so special is that its impact is often measured not in medals or results, but in the experiences that people remember. For Lisa, that means helping create an environment where swimmers can grow in confidence, enjoy being part of a team and discover what they are capable of.
Her recognition as Volunteer of the Year is a celebration not only of what she does herself, but of the difference that dedicated volunteers make to the lives of swimmers and the health of our clubs.
Congratulations, Lisa!
🌟 Young Volunteer of the Year – Ruby Wilson, Beverley Barracudas
Ruby Wilson’s story is a powerful example of resilience, generosity and choosing to give something back.
Ruby first began swimming to help manage her cystic fibrosis and went on to compete successfully with Beverley Barracudas. However, following a collapsed lung and repeated infections, Ruby was sadly forced to step away from competitive swimming. For many young swimmers, that could have marked the end of their connection with the sport.
For Ruby, it became the beginning of something different.
Rather than leaving the club and the sport that had supported her, Ruby trained as a J1 official and began volunteering at swimming galas – giving up her weekends so that other swimmers could have the opportunities and support that had meant so much to her. Since becoming a J1 official, Ruby has shown exceptional commitment. She regularly gives up entire weekends to support competitions, helping swimmers, coaches and clubs enjoy well-run events. But her contribution goes much further than simply officiating.
Ruby understands first-hand how important encouragement, opportunity and a supportive club environment can be. She now helps create that environment for others. Her reliability and positive attitude mean that she is someone her club can depend upon, while her experience gives her a unique understanding of what young swimmers may be feeling when they walk onto the pool deck. Ruby has taken a difficult personal experience and turned it into a determination to help others.
She is an inspiration to the younger swimmers at Beverley Barracudas and a wonderful example of what young volunteering can be.
Ruby, congratulations on being named our Young Volunteer of the Year – and thank you for everything you give back to swimming.
🌊 Participation & Community Coach of the Year – Matt Birch, Rotherham Metro Water Polo Club
Matt Birch embodies the idea that aquatic sport should be for everyone.
As Head Coach of Rotherham Metro Water Polo Club and Head Coach of the North East Talent Centre, Matt’s influence reaches from complete beginners discovering water polo for the first time through to talented athletes aspiring to national and international pathways.
But perhaps his most powerful contribution this year has been Paddle Pals – a new water polo programme designed specifically for adults with cognitive impairments and learning disabilities. Recognising that many people face barriers to accessing aquatic activities, Matt worked with a passionate club parent to create a safe, welcoming and inclusive environment where participants can be active, build confidence and develop social connections. Paddle Pals is deliberately different from traditional water polo. It puts fun, participation and personal development at its heart, adapting activities so that everyone can take part. For participants and their families, it has created opportunities that simply did not exist before.
And that same philosophy runs throughout Matt’s work with Rotherham Metro. The club now supports more than 90 children and young people, with Matt creating an environment where players feel valued and families feel part of a community. His annual Under-12 Water Polo Tournament has also become the largest participation-focused tournament in the region, bringing together more than 75 young athletes. Music, prizes, medals for every participant and even the traditional coach-dunking finale help create an experience that young players will remember. Matt understands that sport should be enjoyable. He also understands that progression looks different for every individual.
Some players may discover a lifelong love of water polo. Others may become coaches themselves. Some will progress through the regional and national pathway. Matt creates opportunities for all of them. And importantly, he encourages young players to give back themselves – supporting younger children and developing their own leadership and communication skills. It creates a wonderful cycle: players learn, grow, give back and then inspire the next generation.
For Matt, success isn’t simply about how many goals a player scores. It is about helping people discover what they are capable of.
Congratulations, Matt!
🏊 Children/Age Group Coach of the Year – Craig Wilson, BOSSS
Craig Wilson is a coach who understands that every swimmer’s journey is different.
His nominations repeatedly highlighted the same qualities: trustworthy, reliable, considerate, hardworking and genuinely caring about all of his swimmers.
That commitment has been particularly important at BOSSS, where Craig works across squads and supports swimmers at different stages of their development. His impact is not simply about helping swimmers progress from one level to another. It is about creating the confidence and stability that allows young athletes to believe they can do it.
One of the clearest examples came during a particularly challenging period for the club, when the head coach was unavailable. Craig stepped up as an unofficial head coach while continuing to look after his own two squads – with no additional benefit or remuneration. He did it because he cared about the club and, most importantly, about the swimmers. That meant giving up additional time on poolside to ensure that swimmers preparing for Nationals still received the coaching and support they needed.
The result? Some of the swimmers went on to qualify for Nationals, reach finals and win medals. But perhaps the most telling part of the nomination is that Craig didn’t do this because he was asked to.
He stepped up because he knew the swimmers needed him.
That is the kind of contribution that can be easy to overlook, but which makes an enormous difference to a young athlete’s experience. Craig has also built a reputation as an incredible role model for age-group swimmers, supporting athletes across the pathway and helping them progress from developing swimmers through to regional and national level.
His award recognises not just what he achieves with swimmers, but the way he makes them feel while they are achieving it.
Congratulations, Craig!
🚀 Talent Development Coach of the Year – Steven Cropper, City of Leeds Swimming Club
Steven Cropper’s award is a celebration of both performance and people.
Since taking over as lead coach of his squad, Steve has helped transform not only the results being achieved, but the ambition and belief of the swimmers themselves.
The results have been remarkable. Swimmers who had never previously reached national level have qualified for English and British Nationals, with athletes progressing to finals and medal success.
A swimmer has been selected for the DiSE Swim Programme, while another has earned the opportunity to represent Nigeria at international junior level. An S14 swimmer has reached English Championships qualification, finals and medal success – significant milestones and firsts for that athlete. But perhaps the most consistent message from the nominations is that Steve doesn’t just coach the swimmers at the front of the lane. He coaches everybody.
Parents described watching him work with large, diverse squads containing swimmers ranging from county level through to British level, including para swimmers, and still making time to speak to individual athletes and understand what each person needs. One parent described the transformation of a swimmer who had previously struggled to produce personal bests, let alone qualification times. Under Steve’s coaching, that swimmer gained Yorkshire and North East qualification times for their own age group – as well as the age group above.
The important part wasn’t simply the times. It was the confidence that came with them.
Steve had helped the swimmer believe that higher levels of performance were possible. That theme appears again and again throughout the nominations. One swimmer described how Steve pushes them to believe in themselves and never lets them give up. Another spoke about the challenging and exciting sets he creates and the way he gives every session his full energy.
That is talent development at its very best.
Congratulations, Steve!
⏱️ Technical Officer of the Year – Kevin Rand, Richmond Dales ASC
Every swimmer remembers the race. Few see all the people who make that race possible.
This year’s Technical Officer of the Year, Kevin Rand, is one of those people.
Kevin’s nomination was beautifully simple:
“He officiates every weekend no matter the weather.”
That sentence perhaps says everything. Kevin is described as one of the hardest-working officials around, giving up his weekends not only to support club competitions but also travelling to Forces galas around the country. And yet the nomination also describes him as an “unassuming gentleman”.
That combination – enormous commitment without seeking recognition – is precisely what makes volunteers and officials like Kevin so valuable. Technical officials are fundamental to competitive aquatics. They ensure competitions are run fairly, accurately and professionally, allowing swimmers to concentrate on doing what they have trained to do.
Kevin represents the many officials across the North East who give their time week after week because they believe in supporting the sport. Often, the best officiating is almost invisible. The competition simply works. And behind that are people like Kevin.
Congratulations, Kevin – and thank you for being there, weekend after weekend.
🏆 Club of the Year – Tynemouth Amateur Swimming Club
Our 2026/27 Club of the Year is Tynemouth Amateur Swimming Club.
Tynemouth ASC represents so much of what we want a great swimming club to be. A place where swimmers can learn, develop, compete, make friends and find their place in the sport. The club provides a pathway from learn-to-swim through development and competitive swimming to Masters, allowing swimmers to continue their aquatic journey through different stages of life.
Its strength lies in bringing together participation, development, performance and community. You can see that in the opportunities it provides for younger swimmers through team competitions such as the Junior League, where the emphasis is not simply on individual performance but on representing the club, supporting teammates and experiencing the excitement of competition together. It is also reflected in the club’s competitive achievements and its commitment to providing swimmers with opportunities to progress. But a successful club is about more than results.
It is about the environment created around those results. It is the volunteers who give up their evenings. The coaches who plan sessions. The parents who drive to galas. The officials who give up their weekends. The older swimmers who become role models. And the younger swimmers who look around and think: “I want to be like them.”
That sense of belonging and progression is at the heart of a great club.
And that is why Tynemouth ASC are worthy recipients of the 2026 Swim England North East Club of the Year award.
Congratulations to everyone at Tynemouth ASC.
Celebrating the people behind our sports
These awards are about much more than seven individuals and one club.
They are a celebration of the people who make aquatics happen. Our winners demonstrate that there are many different ways to make a difference. Sometimes it is through years of volunteering. Sometimes it is giving up a weekend to officiate. Sometimes it is stepping onto poolside when nobody else can. Sometimes it is seeing potential in a young athlete before they can see it themselves. Sometimes it is creating a completely new opportunity for someone who previously had no way into the sport.
And sometimes it is simply being the person who makes someone feel that they belong.
All of our nominees and winners have demonstrated all of these things. They have helped people achieve things they didn’t believe were possible. They have created opportunities. They have built confidence. They have supported families. They have developed future coaches and leaders. They have strengthened clubs.
And, most importantly, they have made a difference to people’s lives through aquatics.
We are incredibly proud to recognise and celebrate our 2026 Swim England North East Regional Award winners.
Congratulations to Lisa Hesling, Ruby Wilson, Matt Birch, Craig Wilson, Steven Cropper, Kevin Rand and everyone at Tynemouth ASC.
We wish our category winners every success as they progress to the next stage of the Swim England National Awards process.
We hope to see some familiar North East faces at the One Swim England Summit and Awards at The Vox, Birmingham, on Friday 12 March 2027.
But whatever happens at the national awards, these individuals and this club have already achieved something special.
They have been recognised by their peers as among the very best of our North East aquatics community.
And we couldn’t be more proud.
