The Oxford Otters Swimming Club is a friendly welcoming group for disabled people of all ages and their families to enjoy swimming.

It began in 1966 when two physiotherapists, Marjorie Gorton and Anne Simmonds, approached Westminster Teacher Training College to ask if they could use their pool for disabled people. College staff members Alan Asquith and Leo Daltrey became involved. and the club was formed. The subs were set at £1 a year!

Anne Simmonds was also secretary of the Oxford Sub Aqua Club and she recruited fellow members, including Dave Brown, as lifeguards. Dave and his wife, Betty, are still the backbone of the Otters today. Soon the St John Ambulance was helping too.to attend on a rota and Jill Saint, Ken and Glenys Hudson, and Ray and Eilene Booker joined the Otters. Jill and Ken are also still with the Otters.

"So the Otters were well and truly formed," said chairman Sue McCarthy. In 1982 the Otters bought special steps to give easier access to the pool, as well as a hoist. By then, Len and Sandra Oatham had also joined as lifeguards.

In 1993, a sponsored swim was organised by Alan Asquith, and By 1994, membership had reached 100 and in 1999 Westminster College became part of Oxford Brookes University and the Otters then paid for lifeguards supplied by Brookes pool staff.

Dave, Len and Sandra have become full-time helpers, bringing There are nine volunteers and many have remained members since the beginning.

"But we urgently need more help," said Sue. "The helpers we have now are tired, as most have been with us for 42 years. You have to take your hat off to them for maintaining a group which meet twice a month for all that time, though. We had some very special people give so much of themselves in the early days, who are now retired, and some are sadly deceased."

Club secretary Jill Saint, who's been a volunteer for 25 years, added: "I started helping the Otters as a St John Ambulance member. It later became difficult for St. John's to cover this duty, so several of us joined the Otters as volunteers. It's an informal and sociable atmosphere, where the members are friendly and undemanding, and you always feel your help is appreciated. There is usually a chance for you to swim yourself, and one or two members need help with exercise in the pool as well. Another volunteer, Christine Townsend, also joined recently. Sue and Byron Harvey are both disabled and confined to wheelchairs, but they swim regularly. In fact, they're getting married soon. Byron, who's a relative newcomer, finds the Otters to be a very sociable group which gives total seclusion, as they have sole use of the warm pool. This gives them a chance to get out of their wheelchairs and exercise with complete safety.

"We would like to thank all those people who have kept this group going over the years, with special thanks to Oxford Brookes University and their staff for giving us the opportunity to swim on a regular basis. We welcome people of all ages who wish to join us, and appeal for new volunteers to help the Otters carry on swimming."

Oxford Otters meet every other Sunday from 9am-11.30am. Membership is just £25 a year.

For more information contact Jill Saint on 01869 350535 or email suemcc@gotadsl.co.uk