“AS A CHILD, I never dreamt of making the Olympics,” explains Alice Dearing. “To prove my younger self wrong was special.”
If the idea of becoming the first black woman to swim for Team GB in an Olympic Games seemed a lofty ambition – she achieved it in 2021 in Tokyo – the next target is bigger still.
“I’d love to see a world where everybody knows how to swim,” she says. “It sounds idealistic, but what harm can it do to dream a bit bigger?”
Alice, 27, became a world junior champion in 2016.
Following her retirement from competitive marathon swimming at the end of last year, she would gain much satisfaction from seeing other black swimmers in her wake.
However, it is the goal of instilling the basics where she is most energised, because that would mean saving and enriching lives.
As co-founder of the Black Swimming Association (BSA), Alice is advocating for water safety skills for black and Asian minorities in the UK, and eventually globally.
Sport England figures say that 95 per cent of black adults and 80 per cent of black children don’t swim. Nor do 93 per cent of Asian adults and 78 per cent of Asian children.
“We don’t even have a statistic on how many people can’t swim!” Alice adds.
In 2022, thanks to National Lottery funding, the BSA was able to launch an initiative, Together We Can.
“It’s a five-week water orientation course that gives people who might never have been in a swimming pool before the opportunity to see what it feels like, eventually leaving them in a place where they can learn to swim,” Alice explains.
“We’re serving our communities by giving them those first steps into the water.”
The initial targets were London boroughs, along with Swansea, Cardiff and Newport, but for the mission to be successful, they must unpick deep-rooted generational beliefs.
“A lot of black people we speak to say that they shouldn’t swim because their bones are too dense, they won’t float, and the best thing for them to do is to stay away from water,” Alice says.
“Unfortunately, people will fall into bodies of water and if they don’t have those survival skills, they can drown.
“The challenge is that the myths have been perpetuated for so long that it’s difficult to bring people out of that mindset.
“Grandparents have been told they can’t swim, so didn’t put their children into swimming lessons, and therefore their children’s children won’t swim either.”
Alice closes by saying that swimming can be so much more than a life skill for safety.
“I’m so grateful that it ended up being my sport and something I could call my passion,” she says.
“It’s shaped me into the person I am today. The pathway swimming has taken me down has been so positive and 95 per cent of the people I hold dear to me today I’ve met because of swimming.”
Alice has been chosen as one of 30 Game Changers to help celebrate The National Lottery’s 30th birthday.
Since The National Lottery’s inception, players have raised more than £50billion for good causes.
The Game Changers are being honoured for their achievements in communities, heritage, sport, film and the arts, using National Lottery funding.
Paul Sinton-Hewitt CBE, founder, parkrun
In 2004, while recovering from injury and dealing with his own personal challenges, Paul Sinton-Hewitt started the first parkrun event with just 13 participants.
Parkrun is now a global movement where millions of people across 22 countries and five continents take part in free, timed 5km running events every Saturday morning.
“I am deeply honoured to be named as a National Lottery Game Changer,” says Paul.
“As parkrun continues to grow, more people are experiencing the magic that comes from being part of a community, being outdoors and being active.”
Steven Tigg, swimming head coach, Aquatics GB
Over the past two decades, Steven Tigg has coached athletes who have won a total of 11 Olympic medals.
As lead of the University of Stirling’s high-performance swimming programme, supported by National Lottery funding, Steven has also inspired countless young swimmers to pursue their passion and strive for personal excellence.
He has recently been appointed the new swimming head coach at Aquatics GB.
Steven says: “Support from The National Lottery has been crucial in providing the resources we need to create an environment where high performance can thrive.
“But it’s not just about winning medals.
“It’s about fostering a love for the sport, encouraging personal growth, and ensuring that every swimmer – no matter their level – leaves with a positive experience.”
Dame Sarah Storey, ParalympicsGB’s most successful Paralympian
Sarah Storey made her Paralympic debut aged 14, winning two gold medals and a bronze at the 1992 Games.
She continued to excel in swimming, attending a further three Paralympics before taking on the world of cycling.
She racked up a total of 30 Paralympic medals, including 19 golds across both sports.
“Being part of The National Lottery funded World Class Programme since it began in 1997 has enabled me to get where I am today,” says Sarah.
“People who play The National Lottery may not realise the impact they have, but the part they play – not just in sport but in other good causes – is incredible.”
Baroness Sue Campbell, former chair, UK Sport
Sue Campbell presided over Team GB and ParalympicsGB’s incredible performances at the London 2012 Games. She was appointed head of Women’s Football at the FA in 2016 and became its director of Women’s Football in 2018.
“Early in my career I realised that if you could use sport in a flexible and agile way, you could connect with young people and help them evolve and grow,” says Sue.
“Through my work with Sport England, supported by National Lottery funding, we used sport as a vehicle to effect change in people’s lives at a grassroots level and build self-esteem.
“I’m so proud to be named as a Game Changer.”
Stephen Jones, head coach and chairman at North Wales Crusaders Wheelchair Rugby League & Disability Sports Club
Under Stephen Jones’s stewardship, the club – founded in 2013 to make rugby league accessible to everyone in North Wales – has produced 16 international players.
National Lottery funding has played a vital role in this club’s success, helping to equip the teams with sports wheelchairs.
It is the only wheelchair rugby league club in the UK to have three teams playing in the various leagues.
“I fell in love with the sport purely because it’s so diverse. Anyone can play.
“It’s totally inclusive at the moment. I’m so passionate about the need for sports for disabled people.
“And with the help of National Lottery funding, we’ve been able to move the dial on that significantly,” says Stephen.
Damian Kennedy, head coach, Northern Ireland’s boxing team, 2022 Commonwealth Games
Damian Kennedy decided to open a boxing club with two friends in Toomebridge, County Antrim, in the 1990s.
He wanted to help kids from the local area stay out of trouble and give them a sense of achievement.
Damian was appointed head coach for Team Northern Ireland at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, where the team topped the medal standings, taking home five golds, one silver and one bronze medal.
Damian also played a crucial role in helping Team Ireland qualify ten boxers for the Paris 2024 Olympics.
“With National Lottery funding, we’ve not only been able to create Olympians but also be there for ordinary kids growing up, who need the sense of belonging that being part of a boxing club brings,” he says. “Boxing clubs across Ireland are the heartbeat of communities and it is great that this is being recognised.”
Find out how playing The National Lottery helps change lives every day at national-lottery.co.uk/life-changing
Photography by Chris Cooper/ShotAway/www.ShotAway.com
