AN OLYMPIAN and diving coach who was set to be a judge at this year’s Olympic Games is spending her lockdown befriending Southampton’s isolated and lonely.

Lindsey Fraser, who represented Britain twice at the Olympics and has also competed at the Commonwealth Games, had different plans pre-pandemic, but is now a volunteer with city charity Communicare.

The 62-year-old diving development officer was an Olympic coach to Britain's diving team and team manager but has now been furloughed at home.

Now, she has turned her talents to helping Communicare in Southampton, a charity which aims to help eradicate loneliness in the city.

Lindsey, who also owns six cats in Hedge End, said: “If everything had been as normal, I would have been preparing my divers for the Junior Europeans and the Olympic Games, while also working at The Quays in Southampton, running the diving programme there and coaching. Earlier this year I was selected as a diving judge for Tokyo 2020 too, so there was lots going on.

“The Olympics are the pinnacle in our sport, whether you’re a coach, a team manager, a judge or a diver."

While most athletes or sporting officials dream of attending just one Olympics, Lindsey would have been to seven in her career if this summer’s event had taken place as planned.

Tokyo would have been her first experience as an Olympic level judge, after achieving every other Olympic diving role possible during her career.

As a diver, she represented Britain on the 10m platform at the 1980 and 1984 Olympics, was the GB team manager and coach at Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004, and then became a Team GB coach in Beijing and London.

She added: "It is exceptionally hard, physically and psychologically, for everyone involved that the Games are not happening this summer.

"We really have no idea whether it will go ahead next year either, so it’s a very uncertain time for us all.

“I care deeply about the local community where I live and within the city and, while furloughed, I am able to get more involved more easily. I have done a few different things to help the charity including delivering some books to a lady who is self-isolating and needed some more reading material to help keep her occupied during the lockdown and I am now a telephone befriender.

"Volunteering is definitely great for both the service user and me. It makes me feel useful and gives me a daily purpose."

To find out more about Communicare, visit www.communicareinsouthampton.org.uk.