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Virtual National Youth Swimming event open for registration

Meet Paralympic Champion Hannah Russell MBE and dive into sport with the British Blind Sport Virtual National Youth Swimming event. 

Hannah Russell

The event will take place online through Zoom on Saturday 27th and Sunday 28th of March 2021. The sessions will be hosted together with our partners Swim England and Strong Lines Physio and guest speaker Paralympic Champion Hannah Russell MBE.

Children from 3 to 17 years of age and their families are welcome to get involved in the virtual event. The sessions will provide an opportunity to increase blind and partially sighted children's involvement in swimming and support new opportunities within the sport.

The project will allow young people, parents, and coaches to connect with presenters and workout with Paralympic Swimmer Hannah Russell MBE. During the Q&A session, one of the UK's leading physiotherapists and representatives from Swim England will also be available to answer any questions regarding training strategies, injury prevention and recovery.

There is also an opportunity for participants to get creative by sending images, videos, or letters to BBS to show how active they have been during the lockdown. A winner from each age group, under 11s and under 17s, will be chosen by Hannah Russell MBE and presented with a British Blind Sport (BBS) goodie bag.

The event provides an opportunity for the wider community to gain a better understanding of vision loss and improve the accessibility of the sport. The BBS Youth Swimming Gala is the flagship event that has been organised by the national sports disability organisations for blind and partially sighted people and held annually for over 20 years. Due to the ongoing restrictions and closures of swimming pools, BBS have ultimately decided to transform the Gala into a virtual event that members can engage with at home.

Alaina MacGregor, CEO of British Blind Sport said:

"The BBS Swimming Gala has grown year upon year since its inception. It is our flagship event and a day where we get to interact with our young service users and see how they are flourishing through physical activity. Due to the ongoing restrictions and closures of swimming pools, we have ultimately decided to transform our Gala into a virtual event that our members can engage with at home. As the pandemic unfolds, it is more important than ever to keep athletes focused and to open up opportunities for them to return to competitive sport. A virtual swimming event is an innovative way for us to continue supporting our community and for swimmers to challenge themselves and become better competitors. The event is also a wonderful opportunity for our youngest users. We hope to inspire them to become active and participate in swimming, once it is safe to do so."

For more information about the event email David Melville Participation Officer at sportdevelopment@britishblindsport.org.uk or visit the BBS website to register.