Swimmers from the City of Southampton Club are benefiting after the return of their coach from his training camp with the Great Britain squad in Cyprus.

Head coach Alan Ayles, pictured above, was given the great honour of being invited to accompany the GB Squad on their freestyle training camp as an assistant coach. He coached top swimmers such as Rebecca Cooke, gold medal winner at the Commonwealth Games, and Graeme Smith, Olympic medallist.

The seven-day camp had a gruelling schedule with coaches and swimmers beginning the day at 5am and ending at 8.30pm. In between training sessions the coaches had regular meetings to plan and discuss strategies where Ayles was able to update his knowledge and learn new techniques.

Bill Sweetnam, head of British swimming, spent some time at the camp and Ayles was able to meet with him and discuss new ideas which were immediately put into place on his return.

The club, based at the Quays, is going from strength to strength since the appointment of Ayles as the full time coach. The swimmers are lucky to have the availability of two-hour training sessions every morning and evening sessions are held daily.

Anybody interested in joining the club as a swimmer or offering sponsorship should contact Alan Ayles 077 7162 2958.