Swim Easy Jersey two-year grant supports disabled swimmers

Thursday 19 November 2015

The Lloyds Bank Foundation in the Channel Islands has granted funding to Swim Easy Jersey to support their participation in the Special Olympic and ASA Galas in England in 2016 as well as their inter insular with Guernsey which took place last month.

Around 19 years ago the organisation for Swim Easy Jersey started to take shape and began its program for disability swimming. It has grown over the years from four individuals to more than 50 participants on a regular basis.

Swim Easy Jersey help individuals learn team work, social interaction, self-confidence, pool safety, water awareness skills, and emergency safety skills.  Dependent on the ability of the individual they also help participants to train for Special Olympics and ASA galas, but most importantly to the team they help participants create long-lasting friendships. 

The teachers and helpers from Swim Easy Jersey who teach upwards of around 300 mainstream swimmers four times a week volunteer their time and talent to help teach the swimmers with disabilities sessions.  The charity also helps to work with people who wish to become a qualified teacher.

The Foundation has provided Swim Easy Jersey with a grant totalling £11,500 which will be split between 2015 and 2016.  This year, the money supported the charity in their ninth, annual Inter Insular in Jersey, where they work with their Guernsey colleagues and promote disability sport within the islands.  

In 2016, the money will help support the charity in their participation at the regional Special Olympic and ASA galas in England where 18 to 20 of their swimmers will compete at a National level against at least 18 other teams from Scotland, England, Wales, and Ireland. These are the top teams across the UK and some even come from the Isle of Man and the Scottish islands. 

Ken Sheehan from Swim Easy Jersey commented: “The grant from the Foundation is a lifeline to the charity. They’re fantastic in their support and we can feel that they really care.  They have actually recognised the swimmers’ achievements as well as the fact that they’re great ambassadors for Jersey’s disability sport. The Foundation has given us so much support which will allow us to maintain continuity in our swim programme for the following two years for swimmers with disabilities, and I can’t praise them enough.”

John Hutchins, Executive Director, Lloyds Bank Foundation in the Channel Islands: “We were touched by the work that Swim Easy Jersey does in disability sport and feel that their achievements, purpose, and drive is essential and necessary. The work that the charity has completed under Ken’s leadership is astonishing with the creation of the annual Inter Insular with Guernsey to fill the gap of friendly, Channel Island competition within their focus of disability sport. It’s inspirational to see the progress that the athletes have made through Swim Easy Jersey’s programmes over the years and I look forward to seeing their growth continue.”