Meet the Team
Core Team
Sunbeam Swimming Club relies on many volunteers every week.
Here are some of the people that you might meet at the pool side or in the water when you come to a session.
There are also lots of other people who help to keep our club running smoothly.
If you would like to volunteer, please visit our page about the club where you will find more information.
Caroline is Chairperson of the club and joined with her son in 2018.
My son Henry, who has Down syndrome, had learnt to swim with 1:1 support and joined the club because he needed something more challenging. He has developed his swimming and friendships in his local community and the club has helped me meet new friends too.
In 2020/2021 Gráinne and I stepped up and became more involved with the committee.
I love welcoming new members and encouraging all of our swimmers to have fun as well as push themselves when they can. If they feel up to it, I support them to train and compete in the galas we enter as a team. The joy on their faces when they get medals and the team camaraderie is just fantastic.
My daughter has always loved to be in water – it truly is her happy place!
Joining the club when she was a young teenager, gave her a regular opportunity to swim as well as a place to meet like-minded people (that also love swimming and being in water!) and to make some lovely friends.
We’ve been members of the club for quite a long time now. In more recent years it’s been a privilege to help keep this fantastic club running by stepping up to the committee to help run the club, as well as supporting weekly sessions and the special one-off events that happen from time to time. It really is a joy to see and support everyone who loves being in the water, making progress towards their personal challenges at their own pace, and having fun doing that!
Gráinne is Treasurer of the club and makes sure that all our invoices are paid on time and that we are looking after our funds..
Sabrina is Welfare Officer for the club and joined the committee in 2023.
I like to be called Sabs or Sabrina and started volunteering for the club after my daughter Amy joined as a member in 2022. She was really progressing well and enjoying herself, making new friends and feeling encouraged by the other swimmers.
I got involved as a volunteer because I could see how hard everyone was working every week to make sure our club runs smoothly. It is really important to me as the club means so much to all of our swimmers and their carers and families. I wanted to do my bit to share the workload.
As Welfare Officer, I am the person who will listen if you have a concern about anything to do with Sunbeam Swimming Club.
In 2015 I had my lower leg amputated, due to an accident five years earlier. My rehabilitation included swimming lessons and I went from beginner to swimmer, got my fitness back and enjoyed it very much.
Swimming gave me so many benefits and I wanted to pay it forward, so I joined the club to encourage other disabled swimmers and help them to develop their swimming too. It brings me a lot of joy, seeing their confidence grow.
Nick
Nicola is a swimming teacher.
I am a professional swimming teacher and work for Pavilions in the Park.
For Sunbeam Swimming Club, I teach some of our swimmers who are still learning, to develop their technique and learn new strokes. I am very passionate about swimming as a life skill and the benefits it gives us.
I love working with this group and watching their progress. It is a highlight of my week.
A friend of mine asked for some help setting up a celebration event for Sunbeam and before I knew it, I was volunteering poolside each week. I was working in Occupational Therapy with disabled people at the time and felt I could make a difference for Swimmers too.
I usually support many of our swimmers who feel more confident having someone in the water encouraging and supporting them. I like to challenge swimmers to have a go at things they find tricky or are anxious about. It is very rewarding seeing them achieve something they didn’t think they could.
Shannon
Hannah
My mum knew some of the Sunbeam volunteers and suggested that I might like to volunteer too. I joined in 2021 as a youth volunteer and started to really enjoy it.
I often swim with our youth members encouraging them to try something new, like racing, or having a fun challenge. I help swimmers with technique and to improve swim strokes.
In 2025 I completed my Level 1 Swim England Assistant Swim Teacher Course and hope to get my Level 2 one day soon.
My Daughter has Downs Syndrome and started swimming with Sunbeam in 2023. Swimming with the club has built her confidence in the water and she quickly started swimming without any support. She has continued to grow her confidence and made some lovely friends at the club. She even entered her first gala and won a race!
I joined the committee in 2024 and regularly volunteer providing poolside support, helping and encouraging swimmers along with packing up equipment at the end of the session.
I love seeing our members flourish in the water.
Jo
Louise
I joined Sunbeam in 2025 when I returned to Horsham. Volunteering to support swimming is a passion I have enjoyed since I was a teenager. Seeing swimmers building confidence, in and out of the water, brings me great joy.
While living in the USA, I coached Special Olympics swimmers for about 14 years and taught a program called Swimming With Autism. Now, I am the Volunteer Development Officer for Special Olympics GB and have the pleasure of working with 1000’s of volunteers who help to bring sports opportunities to people with Intellectual Disabilities.
I am lucky to find Sunbeam, a club and other volunteers and swimmers who have such a passion to bringing the opportunity to swim to others.
I joined the club in 2016 and after getting my NPLQ Lifeguarding Qualification in 2023, I became a volunteer in 2024. I am also a lifeguard at The Pavilions in The Park.
Having Autism myself, I feel able to connect with the swimmers and understand some of the same struggles. I come along as often as I can, between studying and work. I’m very committed to helping swimmers overcome their challenges, to go from strength to strength, to have the best experiences and feel welcome.
Matthew
Alfie
In September 2023 Hannah brought me along to spectate and soon after that, I decided to become a volunteer. It’s been an amazing experience because it’s nice to see our swimmers so happy and progressing in the water. It makes me glad to play a part in their “happy” time of their week.
I really enjoy supporting the team at galas, setting how happy they are to achieve medals and just being able to participate, which is not always easy for some of our team.
Katie
Katie