Successful Northgate swimmers take centre stage

Hosted at the Castle Hall, and supported by the Bridgnorth Lions, over forty swimmers were recognised for their achievements over the calendar year.

And club chairman Steve Smith was keen to heap praise on the unsung heroes at the club with his comments at the awards evening.

“Northgate would not exist without the brilliant people who support it, in both an individual and collective way,” he said. “They all give up their time on a completely voluntary basis and have literally put in countless hours of selfless work throughout the year.”

Smith continued: “Additionally, I would like to thank the many local companies who donated prizes for our raffle, which helped raise valuable funds for the club, and for Libra Systems for their generous donation to Northgate at the start of the year.”

Six swimmers were honoured to pick up individual awards.

Alice Oliver was awarded the ‘Stacey Burton Shield’ for the best performance at the Diddy Gala, while Jack Cook collected the ‘Annual Shield’ for his showing at the annual club championship.

Martha Gibbard was presented with the ‘Max Otto Trophy’ for an outstanding performance at the county championships, and Lois Marshall received ‘Chairmans Cup’ for her contributions to the club in a volunteering capacity.

George King was handed the ‘Coaches Cup’ for his efforts and performance in the senior squad, with Freddie Tyrell-Jones picking up the ‘Ros Lyle Trophy’ for his determination and improvement.

Elsewhere, over ten of the swimmers were called up on stage to collect trophies to mark Bridgnorth Schools winning the annual Shropshire County Primary School competition, with the winning team being made up almost entirely of Northgate swimmers.