The sixth annual Panathlon South Suffolk Swim Gala, which took place at Crown Pools in Ipswich saw teams from 8 schools across South Suffolk take to the water in two competitions – the Panathlon Swim Challenge and the Discovery Swim Challenge – which combined individual events and fun team challenges for swimmers of all abilities.

The Discovery Swim Challenge was won by Northgate School (pictured left), and the Panathlon Swim Challenge was won, again, by Priory School (pictured above) of Bury St Edmunds who booked themselves a place in the South of England Swim Finals at the Olympic Park’s Aquatic Centre in July.

Reflecting on their success, Priory teacher Angie Shaw described the day as, “terrific, which enabled a new group of children coming through to represent the school” and teacher lead Tom Parkington said, “It was great to have competed against other Suffolk Schools again, and we are humbled to have won.”

Claire Hale, PE coordinator at second placed Stone Lodge Academy, said: “It’s been fantastic. It’s always a really good event and it gives some of our children the opportunity to do something they don’t usually get to do, which is the main thing.
“The kids have had a lovely time. They were dead nervous when we got here, but since they’ve got in the water and done their bit, they love it.
“A lot of our children don’t normally get the opportunity to do things like this. We can do things at school for them, but it’s easy for them to get cocooned into what they are doing, but at events like this they can socialise with other teams.”

Teresa Hills, swimming instructor at Thomas Wolsey School, who finished third in the Panathlon Swim Challenge, said “The kids are really having a good time. They look forward to coming and they’ve done reasonably well, so they are really happy.
“It’s fun and the children learn through fun. They can play here and they see everybody together, rather than just where we are at school. They’re all pleased to be here, they like the atmosphere and, win or lose, they’ll be happy because they’ll go away with a medal of some description. They’ll be really pleased.”

The Discovery Swim Challenge was won by Northgate who were “delighted” with the result, according to PE teachers. Both Miss Gemma Irwin and Andy Forbes commented, “We are overjoyed to have had such success at this gala. The whole event has had such a marvellous atmosphere.”

Connor Tye, Northgate Team Captain, receiving the Discovery Trophy from Ben Wallis (pictured right). “As Captain of the winning team, I can say we all really enjoyed it – And we won! I would like to thank Miss Irwin and Mr Forbes for making this happen for us. I would like to thank the Emma Holloway Foundation for supporting children like me in Suffolk and giving us a chance to compete.”

The leaders were provided by Copleston High School, Dauya Calver said “ I saw many children with a range of disabilities and I enjoyed making the event happen for them.” Fellow leader Martha Brewer said, “ It was extremely competitive and you could see the children get better each time they got in the water, it was really fun to be involved.”

Results:
Panathlon:

Priory – 50
Stone Lodge – 35
Thomas Wolsey – 29
Hillside – 23

Discovery:

Northgate – 46
Albert Pye – 38
East Bergholt – 35
Copleston – 24

We would like to thank Ben Wallis, Discovery Project Coordinator and Inclusive Lead of the Ipswich and South Suffolk Schools Games. The Emma Holloway Foundation and Crown Pools.

Sixty-three students from six schools competed at Westbourne Academy for the Suffolk Panathlon Multisport final, part of the Suffolk School Games.

As part of the day proceedings, the Emma Holloway Foundation’s Outstanding Achiever awards were also presented. (pictured left)

There was a fantastic atmosphere throughout the day, but it was the strong team from St. Edmundsbury, (pictured at the top in green) made up from Priory and the Riverwalk Schools, won in an intense battle with Thomas Wolsey School of Ipswich.

Priory School brought a brand new group of first –time Panathlon athletes alongside some experienced pupils and in combination with Riverwalk gained 3 wins and 2 seconds to secure 54 points.

They won four out of the six disciplines, which separated them from Thomas Wolsey School by 8 points.

Thomas Wolsey’s 46 points were gained on the back of 2 wins and 2 seconds. They finished 10 points clear of third placed Stone Lodge and 14 points clear of 4th placed “All Stars” (The Bridge and Hillside) who scored 32 points. The All Stars secured a New Age Kurling victory.

St. Edmundsbury will now represent Suffolk in the East England Final in the new school year.

Courtney Smith of Priory School said, “This is my first time at Panathlon, I so enjoyed it, I want to come again, I have heard about it from other pupils at school, now I have experienced it, it was great”

Callan Durnan another 1st time Priory pupil said, “I was very excited this morning on the bus coming to my first Panathlon, I have seen others come back to school with trophies and medals, I wanted to be part of it, I am at the end of the day, so happy I got all out of it what I thought I would.“

Jane Chave teacher in charge at Priory said, “It was great to bring out a group of new children, it tests them, it helps the sport in the school develop and helps us get children ready to slot in when the experienced ones leave.”

Jane also paid tribute to her contemporary at Riverwalk, Brianne Hogg who is leaving and going to Bedfordshire. “We have worked well together over the past 5 years and the children will certainly miss her.

Priory and Panathlon pass on their best wishes to Brianne for all the support she has given both organisations.

The young leaders from Copleston High (pictured left) performed to extremely level and all received tributes from all participating schools and teachers.

Leaders Jade Jeffs and Steph Wright both commented, “We really enjoyed working with the kids and seeing how not even a disability stands in the way of them competing hard and fairly and having a sense of fun and sportsmanship.”

Due to their incredible on-going commitment, we would like to thank the Emma Holloway Foundation for all their support and the Outstanding Achievers and testimony to the kind of children who participate in the Suffolk programme.

Thank you also to Sport Suffolk and Schools Games for your continued support.

Since its inception six years ago, the South Suffolk Panathlon Swim title has been Priory School from Bury St Edmunds sole domain’ and on 8 Feb 2017, it was again.

The win sees them as the first qualifier for the Panathlon swimming Final at the Aquatic Centre in the Olympic Park this July, giving them a chance to defend their South England title win in 2016 and have a chance to try and make it three in a row.

The South Suffolk champions will compete at Panathlon’s South of England Swim Finals at the iconic Aquatic Centre, venue for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, having seen off competition from five other schools at the Ipswich gala.

54 students from 8 schools took to the water for a fantastic day of swimming action at Ipswich’s Crown Pools, which featured two competitions – the Panathlon Swim Challenge and the Discovery Swim Challenge – combining individual races and team events for swimmers of all abilities.

The team of eight students from Priory School won the Panathlon competition in style having come out on top in all 11 activities on competition day.

Stone Lodge Academy put in a great effort securing all 2nd placings in the competition, thus gaining overall 2nd place.

In the Discovery section, East Bergholt secured victory with 44 points, with Northgate securing second from Copleston on countback.

Jane Chave, PE teacher at Priory School. “We had a pretty new team this year, so were unsure how we would go, so they really have been fantastic. It’s off to the Olympic pool again and another chance to compete at a great venue, an experience the kids will embrace”

Results

Panathlon

1.    Priory 55 points
2.    Stone Lodge Academy 39 points
3.    Thomas Wolsey 26 points
4.    The Bridge -20 points

Discovery

1.    East Bergholt 44 points
2.    Northgate 34 points ( 3 first places won on countback)
3.    Copleston 34
4.    Felixstowe 22

9 leaders from Copleston helped officiate alongside support from Suffolk Norse Swimming, Ben Wallis of Copleston High and Team Ipswich Swim Club.

The Emma Holloway Foundation again provided funding for medals, swim caps, trophies and towels. Panathlon thanks the Emma Holloway Foundation for their continued support.

The third annual Panathlon Challenge Suffolk Swim Gala, which took place at Crown Pools in Ipswich this week, provided a “special” day of competition for over 100 disabled children.

Teams from 13 schools across Suffolk took to the water in two competitions – the Panathlon Swim Challenge and the Discovery Swim Challenge – which combined individual events and fun team challenges for swimmers of all abilities.

The Panathlon Swim Challenge was won by Bury’s Priory School, who booked themselves a place in the South of England Swim Finals at the Olympic Park’s Aquatic Centre in July.

Reflecting on their success, Priory teacher Jane Chave described the day as “terrific”, while 14-year-old Colby Butlin said it was “awesome” (read more from them in our main story), but every team was full of positive feedback what proved to be a fantastic event.

Jan Aries, teacher at Hillside Special School (pictured right), who finished as runners-up behind Priory School, felt the event brought out the best in everyone.

“There’s a real team spirit among all the teams here,” she said. “Our team fell apart at the last minute due to various reasons and Stone Lodge Academy have lent us three of their swimmers to make our team up, so that’s really special.

“The children enjoy the challenge of a day like today. That really gives them confidence, even for the less-confident ones. Also the understanding that it’s OK not to come first every time. They are absolutely fine with that, as long as they have taken part.”

Teresa Hills, swimming instructor at Thomas Wolsey School, who finished third in the Panathlon Swim Challenge, echoed Jan’s thoughts, saying: “The kids are really having a good time. They look forward to coming and they’ve done reasonably well, so they are really happy.

“It’s fun and the children learn through fun. They can play here and they see everybody together, rather than just where we are at school. They’re all pleased to be here, they like the atmosphere and, win or lose, they’ll be happy because they’ll go away with a medal of some description. They’ll be really pleased.”

Stone Lodge Academy in action in a team challenge

Claire Hale, PE coordinator at Stone Lodge Academy, said: “It’s been fantastic. It’s always a really good event and it gives some of our children the opportunity to do something they don’t usually get to do, which is the main thing.

“The kids have had a lovely time. They were dead nervous when we got here, but since they’ve got in the water and done their bit, they love it.

“A lot of our children don’t normally get the opportunity to do things like this. We can do things at school for them, but it’s easy for them to get cocooned into what they are doing, but at events like this they can socialise with other teams. We’ve had three of our children swim for another team today, so in terms of developing independence and social skills it’s fantastic.

“It’s not just about learning sport. It’s about developing so much more than that, which is why we come to as many Panathlon and Discovery events as we can.”

The final team in the Panathlon Swim Challenge line-up were The Bridge School – a school in Ipswich for children with severe learning difficulties and autism.

Not used to swimming in large gala events, a few of the team members were overawed by the occasion but, despite finishing in last place, swimming teacher Francis Harbour said the event was a great experience for her team.

Francis Harbour of The Bridge School helps out one of her team members

“I think events like this are very important,” she said. “We’ve got to give them experience. A lot of these kids, they don’t go out. Their parents are frightened to take them out, so to let them be out in society with other people is a really nice experience.

“We’ve got our own swimming pool so they feel safe there, but to come somewhere like this – it’s deep, it’s cold, it’s unfamiliar – it’s a great experience for them. Some can take it, others can’t so well, but it’s important for them all to experience it.

“Swimming is really important. My concern, especially with the lack I understanding our students have, is that if they can swim, they can save themselves if they fall in water. It’s all about safety. Their swimming ability has really developed during their time with us.

The Discovery Swim Challenge was won by Holbrook Academy (pictured below left), who were “delighted” with the result, according to their co-coordinator of PE, Juliet Wiles.

“Our team is delighted,” she said. “Last year we came second to Felixstowe Academy and we’ve got a young team this year, so we didn’t expect to win it. They just came and had fun and worked hard. What a lovely surprise!

“It’s a great event. We get children involved who wouldn’t normally perhaps enter competitions, which is fantastic. It’s a real confidence builder for them. They love coming.

“They work hard as a team and put their bit in. Even the least-able swimmer in the group, just the smile on her face was fantastic. Lots of these children have never won anything so to have that was quite something. It’s very special for them.

“These kids wouldn’t normally perhaps get into a school netball or football team, but this is somewhere they can come and make friends, have a good time and have some competition and be recognised for achievement and progress, so it’s fantastic.”

Priory School from Bury St Edmunds will be among the Panathlon teams swimming at the Aquatic Centre in the Olympic Park this July, after they won the Suffolk Panathlon Swim Gala in Ipswich today.

The Suffolk champions will compete at Panathlon’s South of England Swim Finals on 6 July at the iconic Aquatic Centre, venue for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, having seen off competition from four other schools at the Suffolk gala.

With Team GB wheelchair basketball player Freya Levy watching on, 104 students from 13 schools took to the water for a fantastic day of swimming action at Ipswich’s Crown Pools, which featured two competitions – the Panathlon Swim Challenge and the Discovery Swim Challenge – combining individual races and team events for swimmers of all abilities.

The team of eight students from Priory School won the Panathlon competition having come out on top in the 11 event competition, while Holbrook Academy were named Discovery Champions, having finished runners-up in 2014.

“It’s lovely,” said Jane Chave, PE teacher at Priory School. “We’ve been lucky enough to win this event before, but this is the first time the winners have gone through to the Olympic Park.

“The children didn’t know until the very last minute whether we’d won, so it’s terrific. We had some last minute changes to the team and some of the children have never competed for the school before, so they really have been fantastic.

“The nicest thing here is that there is a level playing field. Whatever disability you have, the scoring system levels it out, so kids with all sorts of disabilities can compete against one another. It’s great because they are all involved. It’s a team thing – almost every race is a team event.”

One of the delighted team members, 16-year-old Max Ross said: “It’s been really good. I’ve never really done this sort of thing before. It’s my first time in a swimming competition and it’s been pretty amazing. Everyone’s competing and being part of it, but it’s all about having fun.

“My favourite challenge was the one where you had to pick out a load of toys and then bring them back. Teamwork was the most important thing – it was all about working as a team. Now we’re going to London, which will be fun!”

14-year-old Colby Butlin, for whom participation in the Panathlon Swim Gala had been used as an incentive to help encourage good behaviour in school, was equally thrilled.

“It’s awesome,” said Colby. “My favourite event is the freestyle. I love to go as fast as I can. I’ve done it a couple of times before, but I love taking part and it keeps me out of trouble!”

Panathlon’s swimming programme began in 2013 to introduce severely disabled young people to water, often for the first time, in a competition that combines traditional gala events with team challenges. It has already seen over 650 disabled children across the country take to the water in its fun competitions, 35 percent of them for the first time.

The third annual Suffolk Swim Gala was the largest event in Panathlon’s swimming programme and was enjoyed by the watching Freya Levy – a member of the Great Britain wheelchair basketball team.

“This is my first Panathlon swimming event and it has been really exciting. Although it’s a competition, the kids are having a lot of fun, which is really important,” said 19-year-old Freya, who has been in a wheelchair since being diagnosed with muscular dystrophy in 2010.

“It’s fantastic what Panathlon does for disabled children. When I was first disabled and in a mainstream school, PE was really limited. I played table tennis, but the teachers didn’t really know what to do with me.

“Panathlon sports are all adapted so that they are suitable for disabled children. If Panathlon had been available to me when I first disabled, it would have helped me a lot for sure.”

The Panathlon Swim Gala was supported by the Emma Holloway Foundation, founded in 2010 to benefit youth disability sport in Suffolk. With the support of the Foundation, Panathlon will this year alone provide sporting opportunities to over 400 children across Suffolk, across a range of Panathlon programmes.

Thanks also must go to Suffolk School Games, Comic Relief,  Suffolk Community Foundation, Suffolk County Council, Suffolk Norse Swimming, Ipswich Swim Academy and Crown Pools.

Holbrook Academy won the day’s other competition, the Discovery Swim Challenge, which featured eight schools from Suffolk’s Discovery Programme – established in 2010 to benefit young people in Ipswich and South Suffolk.

Read more reaction from the teams on a “special” day at the Suffolk Swim Gala and check out all the action from the day in the image gallery below.

Panathlon Swim Challenge results:

1st – Priory School, Bury St Edmunds – 60 points
2nd – Hillside School, Sudbury – 48
3rd – Thomas Wolsey School, Ipswich – 44
4th – Stone Lodge Academy, Ipswich – 43
5th – The Bridge School, Ipswich – 32

Discovery Swim Challenge results:

1st – Holbrook Academy – 77 points
2nd – East Bergholt High School – 73
3rd – Claydon High School – 69
4th – Farlingaye High School, Woodbridge – 68
5th – Copleston High School, Ipswich – 57
6th – Felixstowe Academy – 54
7th – Westbourne Academy, Ipswich – 40
8th – Northgate High School, Ipswich – 39

Over the last week Panathlon have held the first five of their swimming competitions in London, Kent and North Suffolk, involving 146 young people who rarely get in to the water.

In London, 99 students from 15 different schools in 10 London Boroughs had the chance to represent their school and be crowned champions for North, West and East London.

The first of the three events took place at Clissold Leisure Centre in Hackney. Newcomers Oakleigh School put in a fantastic performance and gained bronze medals. Trinity School from Barking and Dagenham took silver with some amazing solo performances winning many of the individual races. However, it was Lynette Emery School who stole the gold medal after performing brilliantly in the team challenges and coming from behind to win.

Swiss Cottage Champions in the West!

At the North London competition, Swiss Cottage were crowned champions ahead of The Vale, Northway, Mapledown and Oak Lodge, respectively. Anna Kwasniak from Swiss Cottage School said: “Thanks for a fantastic day. Our students thoroughly enjoyed themselves and they love these sort of inclusive activities. It’s great because every single one of our students can compete.”

West Champions, “Spring Hallow” from Ealing

The West London competition proved to be another tightly fought battle. The honours went to Spring Hallow School who dominated the individual races. After solid performances throughout the day, the silver medal went to Belvue just ahead of Coteford in third.

The runner-up positions went to the Village, Perseid and Lindon Bennett who all performed extremely well, so we hope they’ll come back next year to try and go one better. Congratulations to all of the teams on what has been a fantastic week of racing!

The next swimming competition will be in January where the South London boroughs will come together for another exciting encounter!

Panathlon also last week delivered its first swim pilot in Norwich with 16 new swimmers involved at the Hewitt School.

Building on the success of the first competition delivered last year in Kent, 31 children from four schools – St Nicholas from Canterbury, Milestone Academy from Dartford, Meadowfield from Sittingbourne and Abbey Court from Medway – competed at Larkfield Leisure Centre in Aylesford.  See more here.

With support from Jack Petchey Foundation, Wembley National Stadium Trust and Metaswitch in London and the Emma Holloway Foundation and the Mason Trust in Suffolk and Norfolk.