Oldham's young team of elite swimmers have been left 'distraught' after being told their training club has been cancelled with immediate effect.

Oldham Aquatics is the competitive swimming club for elite swimmers in the borough and is home to the Advanced Training Squad (ATS).

The squad trains and supports swimmers from the ages of eight onwards, helping them into graded county, regional and national competitions.

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It also has one of the few master's squads in Greater Manchester.

The scheme has been supported and funded by Oldham Active (Oldham Community Leisure), a not-for-profit charitable organisation which operates swimming pools and fitness facilities across the borough.

A spokesperson for Oldham Active said the decision was made to end the programme as member numbers were "less than a third of what was required to break even".

Oldham Active also said it will continue to engage with clubs and offer additional pool space and coaching time "to allow swimmers to reach their potential".

Earlier this year, Oldham Aquatics cheered on 11-year-old, Sophie Power, who qualified in the Lancashire County Championships in January alongside just six other swimmers.

The determined swimmer had competed in the 50m breaststroke and went on to represent her club, Oldham Seals, in a fierce regional championship.

Oldham Aquatics said at the time it was proud of her as she continues to "carve her path in the competitive swim world and put Oldham on the map".

However, the day after the Olympics closing ceremony, the team at Oldham Aquatics were informed via email on Monday (August 12) that Oldham Active had decided to withdraw its support.

The Oldham Aquatics club said: "Our children, including Sophie, now have no provision and are left with no training with immediate effect.

"This is obviously a big blow to sport in Oldham and our children are distraught that the normal 10 hours a week training they have dedicated themselves to will no longer happen.

"Their dreams and aspirations to compete in swimming at a high level are currently shattered by this news and we feel there is no real justification for it to end.

"It affects all our swimmers and they are all competing at a high level."

When asked why the club has been pulled, a spokesperson for Oldham Active said: “The decision to end the current ATS programme was taken after careful consideration and following a consultation period of over six months.

"Numerous meetings have taken place involving the ATS committee members and representatives from all the swimming clubs in Oldham.

"The current member numbers were less than a third of what was required to break even and all parties recognised that change was needed.

"We were keen to engage with the ATS committee to see if a fresh approach under their management could keep the programme going.

"However, we have a responsibility to undergo a process of due diligence and assess the proposal carefully and ultimately, the business plan presented by the ATS committee did not, in the opinion of OCL and the Swim Club representatives, meet a threshold of deliverability necessary to move it forward."

The spokesperson continued: "We appreciate that this is a difficult decision for the ATS Committee and the families of the 19 ATS swimmers affected, but we are continuing to engage with the clubs and offer additional pool space with a view to providing the necessary coaching time to allow the swimmers to reach their potential in Oldham.

"Change is always difficult, but we are committed to supporting the clubs so they may take the development of their swimmers to a high level.

"This is not the end of opportunities for Oldham swimmers to progress to a high level, it is the start of a new direction that has the support of the swimming Clubs themselves."

The news comes as an Oldham-born Olympic medalist, Anthony Harding, said his career started in Oldham's pools after he secured a bronze medal in the men's synchronised 3m springboard in Paris.

He first began diving when he was just five years old at Oldham Sports Centre, now Oldham Leisure Centre, and the 24-year-old was honoured with a golden plaque at Oldham Leisure Centre when he secured a gold medal in the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games.

The blow also comes as Oldham Active says it has been nominated for the 'supporting young people' accolade at the Oldham Business Awards 2024.

Reacting to the nomination, Oldham Active shared a video clip of all the ways it 'supports' young people in the borough, which included a short snippet of gymnastics and swimming.

Oldham Active's Deputy CEO, Simon Blair, said: "I’m delighted that Oldham Active have been nominated as one of the three finalists in the 'supporting young people” category for the Oldham Business Awards.

"We have worked really hard over the past few years to build on our offer for young people with an ultimate aim of getting young people across Oldham more active.

"We have achieved this by providing more opportunity and pathways to access physical activity and at times, within the leisure and health and fitness sector, these have been quite innovative whereby other providers have looked to us for guidance."

When contacted by The Oldham Times, Oldham Council declined the opportunity to comment.

Got a story? Email me Olivia.bridge@newsquest.co.uk