If you were looking for someone to give a medal to for long-standing commitment, then Joyce Fisher and Maureen Hicks would have to be contenders.

They both help to run the Yateley Swimming and Social Club for the Disabled. Maureen, the secretary, has been involved for ten years, while Joyce, who is the treasurer, has notched up an incredible 28 years, nearly as long as the lifetime of the club itself.

“The club has been running for 33 years,” said Joyce. “And I sort of inherited it off the lady I bought my house from. She originally started the group and when I moved into the house, I decided to carry on with her good work.”

The club has become almost an institution in Yateley and it is held every Friday evening at the pool at Yateley School in School Lane.

It is open to anyone with a disability, whether this is physical, a learning disability or both, and several members come from the nearby Yateley Industries, which is a workplace and home for a number of local disabled people.

“We have 40 members in total and ten helpers, and about 28 people turn up to swim every week,” continued Joyce.

“The helpers get in the pool to teach and assist with the swimming and they are also on hand in the changing rooms should anyone need a helping hand getting dried or dressed.

“We are always on the look-out for new helpers and, of course, as an incentive they get the chance to have a swim too.

“The only requirement is a willingness to mix with people with different disabilities.
“Most of our swimmers will ask if they need help so being a helper isn’t overly demanding — all you have to do is keep a lookout for someone having difficulties, particularly the new members, in case they don’t like to ask. A tactful offer is often welcomed.”

Compared with going to a public pool the club offers excellent value for money, as Maureen explained: “It’s a very cheap way for people to have a swim.

“We charge £1 a session on top of the £4 annual subscription, and non-members can come along to try out the club for £1.50.

“This means we just about cover our costs as we have to pay £29 for the use of the pool and the mandatory lifeguard. Luckily we get a reduced rate for the pool hire, which is a big help.

“Our members get a really good deal because they get a cup of tea or coffee included in the price as well as a swim.”

Not only do the members have various disabilities, they also cover a wide age range.
Maureen explained that most are in their 20s, 30s and 40s, but a few are older or younger.

“Our youngest member is seven — he has really come on in his swimming — and our oldest member is in their 70s,” she said.

“We find that everyone gets on really well despite their different disabilities and ages.”
The emphasis of the club is on having fun and increasing water confidence, and this is where it differs from many other swimming clubs for the disabled which concentrate more on the competitive element.

Maureen added: “We had one chap join who was in his 60s and couldn’t swim.

“He did really well and learned to swim in two weeks. He had the ability, it was just that nobody had ever shown him how.”

Because of the support water provides, swimming is well established as a valuable therapeutic tool and for many disabled people it is the only chance they have to exercise physically.

Swimming allows them to reach a level of fitness which would be difficult to achieve on land and it also gives them increased mobility, particularly in joints which might be stiff or deformed.

In fact, some people who can’t move on land find they are able to move relatively easily when in water and this is both a liberating and rewarding experience for them.

Furthermore, the resistance of the water means any physical task is harder to perform in the pool, requiring more effort, and this helps to strengthen muscles to improve posture and balance when back on land.

And because movement is slowed down in the water, a person with a physical disability can more easily learn to control their body movements because they are more aware of what they are doing, both in and out of the water.

The psychological benefits of swimming should not be underestimated either.

For those with a learning disability, learning to swim can help stimulate their minds, develop powers of concentration and aid communication processes.

It can also more generally build confidence and improve self-esteem, particularly as it is one area where the able-bodied and disabled can often perform at the same level, opening up social opportunities and removing barriers.

Learning to swim and enjoying a social life

The technique used by the club to teach swimming is the Halliwick Method, which focuses on ability rather than disability.

It was specially developed for the disabled by James McMillan, who was an engineer and also a teacher for the Amateur Swimming Association.

It follows a ten-point programme which goes from helping would-be swimmers make the mental adjustment to being in water, through controlling the body in the pool with the help of an instructor, leading finally to independent swimming and propulsion.

After this stage, swimmers can learn conventional swim-ming strokes if they wish.

The Halliwick Method also teaches relaxation, breathing and balance control, and for children the stages are designed as games to remove any stress and make the lessons fun so the child wants to learn.

Joyce said: “We are not swimming instructors as such, but we do know how to teach this method. It is a very one-to-one way of teaching and it means the swimmer must engage with the teacher, which is something some disabled people find difficult to do. The method doesn’t use buoyancy aids because a swimmer can easily become dependent on them.

“This can make them feel disheartened when the aids are taken away because they appear to have lost progress.

“Lots of our swimmers are quite nervous and apprehensive at first, but once they realise the water supports them and they won’t sink, they start to relax. I really enjoy seeing someone learn to swim.

I get a lot of satisfaction from giving them the ability to do something that is enjoyable and from knowing that I have made a difference to their life.”

Rachel Hatch is a 37-year-old swimmer who has been going to the club since she was 13. She suffers from spina bifida and says the club has helped her enormously, in particular with her fear of water.

“This is really friendly club and very welcoming,” she said. “When I first started I had a real fear of water because of something that happened to me when I was young, but they have always been so encouraging and supportive at the club. In fact, I got over my fear to the extent that I recently swam 16 lengths and raised £50 for Sport Relief.

“Everyone laughs because when I get into the pool my legs go up and I float, and they have to push my legs down so I can stand up. It’s such a light-hearted club and great fun. I really enjoy it.”

Many of the members find movement difficult on land, but the club was fortunate enough to be able to purchase a hoist for helping swimmers get in and out of the pool.

Maureen explained that at the time, with the help of Yateley Lions, fundraising efforts had gone a fair way to reaching the target sum to allow for the purchase of the much-needed hoist, but it was falling short by £1,001.

“But then we received an anonymous donation of that amount which meant we could go out and buy the hoist there and then instead of waiting the 18 months it would have taken us to raise the out-standing sum,” she said. “We still don’t know to this day who made the donation but we are so grateful. It made a big difference to our swimmers.

“Before we bought it, we had to manhandle them into the pool, which is rather undignified, and it put us at risk of hurting our backs. Now, having made this big purchase, a lot of our fundraising efforts are put into raising money to pay for the hoist’s six-monthly servicing which costs £70 each time, but we also like to have a bit of money spare to pay for unexpected eventualities or any shortfalls.”

But it’s not just about swimming. Joyce and Maureen say there is a real social element to the club — after all, it’s incorporated in the name.

Joyce explained: “After the swimming session, we have tea and a chat, and every year we have a barbecue, a summer outing and a Christmas party.

“We use the Yelabus for our outings as it has wheelchair access and we’ve been to all kinds of places. This year, we’re hoping to go on the Water-cress Line steam trains near Alton.”

Maureen added: “Our members and helpers are all nice people and we like to have a good laugh together. It also gives disabled and able-bodied people a chance to socialise together, which is something they might not otherwise do.

“Anyone who has a disability can come along. They might have been born with it or they might have had an accident or a stroke, but they are all welcome. I think it’s nice to know that there is somewhere in the area for disabled people to go to swim without feeling self-conscious and with the facilities to accommodate their needs.

“People also give friendship and support to each other outside the club, so it has built up to form a bit of a social network too.”

Rachel agreed: “It’s a really good club. If you’re too tired to swim, you don’t feel pressured to go into the pool. You can just go along and watch everyone else and have a chat.

“They really think about you too. If you’re ill, for example, they will send flowers or a card and phone to see how you are. To me, it’s just like a big family.”

For more details call Maureen on 01252 861792.