Frances Dalrymple-smith

Frances has been involved in swimming from the time my brother, sister and I joined a swimming club in the 1970's. Rather than just sitting on the side watching us, she decided she should volunteer to help. Frances has contributed to swimming in many ways over the past 35 years. Frances has been a swimming official since the early 80's and as a judge, timekeeper and referee has probably walked the equivalent of Lands End to John O'Groats up and down the side of a swimming pool. She has done this voluntarily for the last 30 years, and still does so. Her overarching passion has been helping disabled people to learn to swim. Frances ran a swimming group for many years for adults with disabilities. It has unfortunately now folded, but was a thriving community that depended on Frances as a figure head. As a swimming tutor Frances taught people of all ages to teach swimming. Over the years she has qualified hundreds of swimming teachers. People with a disability were central in this role and she gained most fulfilment out of tutoring courses to enable people to teach swimming to disabled people. Seeing her with those individuals showed what a caring, talented and inspiring teacher she is. I hope that you will consider Frances to be a torch bearer; she has given so much of her time, energy and talents to swimming over the years, predominantly voluntarily. It would be a great way to show how much she has been valued by her family, friends and colleagues in the swimming world.