Sophie is an active swimmer and member of the Swim England North East Region Youth Forum. She explains how she has developed herself by taking advantage of opportunities out of the water.

Young Leaders wanting to take advantage of similar opportunities should visit the following information: Young Aquatic Leaders

Hi my name is Sophie, I am an aquatic poolside helper at my swimming club and a competitive swimmer. I am studying for my GCSEs. I have been swimming for 10+ years and was excited to become a poolside helper when I turned 13. It is a great feeling to stand by the pool and teach the younger ones the things I have been taught. I really enjoy this and would definitely encourage any swimmer to go on to volunteer.

This year, I have volunteered at national events such as The British Swimming Championships Finals 2023, The British Swimming Summer Championships and The Yorkshire Masters Championships. I was proud to be in the event workforce as a kit carrier and a medal bearer. I thoroughly enjoyed being part of these events and great teams. It was amazing meeting champion swimmers and to be part of something so incredible. My family watched me on tv. I would definitely recommend offering to volunteer your time at these big national events, as it is definitely something you want to be a part of! I look forward to doing more events like this as they have such a buzz. I also got loads of free merchandise and a fab uniform.

I help weekly at my local club and always support any of our club galas. I try to do as many events as I can and I help with club fundraising too. The next step for me will be to do my level one training when I am 16 so that I can hopefully get paid to work at my local pools to do something I love whilst I continue my studies.

Swim England is amazing and I have had great experiences so far and can’t wait to volunteer at many more events. I am so grateful for the funding from SE that helps subsidise the cost for young helpers and give us these amazing opportunities nationwide, thank you!

I have just recently enjoyed being a part of the SE Youth Forum where it was interesting to hear from other swimmers and AHs such as me talk about their experience and what they are doing in the future. We will now do our SE Aquatic poolside helper training for young volunteers. I enjoyed learning from my child safeguarding awareness training.

My dream is to become part of a Fire and Rescue Service Underwater Recovery Unit and put all of my swimming skills and knowledge to good use.