Swim England North East is proud to celebrate the outstanding achievements of our members who shone at this year’s Swim England National Awards, held at at Birmingham University’s Great Hall on Saturday 29th November. The event brought together inspiring individuals, clubs and programmes from across the country, and we are delighted that so many from our region were recognised for their dedication, impact and excellence.
We extend our warmest congratulations to all North East finalists, whose commitment to aquatics continues to strengthen and uplift communities across our region. A special celebration goes to our National Award winners, listed below:
🥇 Swim Teacher of the Year – Gold
Abigail Carlisle, Swim City
Abigail’s passion for teaching and her exceptional ability to inspire swimmers of all ages earned her the top national honour in teaching excellence.
🥇 Participation and Community Coach of the Year – Gold
Gabby Williams, City of Sheffield Water Polo Club
Gabby’s work in growing participation and creating inclusive environments within water polo has made a profound impact on the community.
🥇 Children/Age Group Coach of the Year – Gold
Victoria Holt, Tadcaster York Sport Swim Squad
Victoria’s dedication to developing young swimmers and creating nurturing, athlete-centred coaching environments has earned well-deserved national recognition.
🥇 School Swimming Award – Gold
Tees Active
A fantastic achievement celebrating Tees Active’s ongoing efforts to deliver high-quality school swimming programmes across the region.
🥉 Technical Official of the Year – Bronze
Nicola Hughes, Durham City Aquatics
Nicola’s professionalism, commitment and contribution to officiating have been recognised at the highest level.
Talent Athlete Recognitions
Alongside the coaching and community successes, we are thrilled to celebrate the achievements of North East athletes recognised for their performances and potential in their respective disciplines:
- Diving: Simeon Greig, Sheffield Diving
- Water Polo: Ben Alderson, Sedgefield Water Polo Club
Their dedication to their sport and outstanding performances spotlight the depth of talent within the North East.
A Region to Be Proud Of
We congratulate all winners, finalists, and nominees from across the region. Your hard work and passion continue to make the North East a centre of excellence for swimming, diving and water polo.
We would also like to show special recognition to our Artistic Swimming clubs in the Region, as although there were no winners this year, they are continuing to really drive forward the development of the sport, and we can not wait to see how they do int 2026!
We look forward to seeing what you achieve next, well done to everyone involved!
All images were taken by Swim England
