BARRY Beavers. A great name, and a great club.

The volunteers that run this fantastic club in Barry have done so much over the years. I am delighted to have been able to play, albeit small, a role in the group’s development and learn about the next initiative that supports swimming and therapy for people with special needs in the Vale of Glamorgan and further afield.

The club has taken the initiative to organise a new Halliwick Association of Swimming Therapy Foundation Course Swimming for Disabled People and hold it in Barry. It is a fantastic idea, and one I fully support.

The Halliwick Foundation is a voluntary organisation that has been providing one to one swimming lessons for swimmers with additional physical needs since 1949.

Affiliate clubs like the Barry Beavers and local volunteers such as Pat Finch and Chris Economides deserve a huge amount of credit for the expertise and initiative in bringing such a well-respected swimming course to Barry.

The Barry Beavers do so much good in the town and the wider Vale. They provide swimmers with additional needs across an enormous age range with the opportunity to learn swimming skills from trained volunteers – and take part in annual galas and events.

I have had the opportunity to attend the gala and present awards for swimmers who gain so much, not just in the pool but out of it too. That is what struck me most when I visited – despite the obvious benefits of learning in the water, the invaluable support out of the pool is just as important and the camaraderie at Barry Beavers really has to be seen to be believed.

I have always been impressed that a club run by volunteers on very limited funding manages to do so much good work in the community.

For people with additional needs, water confidence and learning how to use muscles in the body is a very effective way to develop movement out of the pool. The Halliwick AST Foundation Course being held on November 13 to 16 at Barry Leisure Centre will help our local swimmers, support Barry Beavers and help develop the skills of those willing to help others less fortunate than themselves.