50 years of Keynsham Seals
Half a century of making swimming welcoming for adults and children with disabilities and neurodivergence.
Our birthday swim
On Sunday 18 October 2026 we marked our golden anniversary with a birthday celebration at Keynsham Leisure Centre: a swim session from 11:30 for an hour. Thank you to everyone who came along to celebrate with us, and to everyone who has been part of Seals over the last 50 years.
Our story
- 1976 Keynsham Seals opens, so that adults and children with disabilities and neurodivergence can learn to swim in a comfortable and welcoming place. The club is first run by the British Red Cross.
- The early days Changing facilities were whatever could be found: in the club's early days, members changed in first aid rooms that had tanning beds in them.
- December 1984 Princess Diana attends a session, as part of her work with the British Red Cross.
- Growing The club grows, and gains access to hoists so that swimmers can get into the water safely.
- 2025 With the club at risk of closure, Rachel Parker takes over as chair. Thanks to fundraising, Seals stays afloat.
- Today We swim every Sunday at Keynsham Leisure Centre, which has had a £9.5m refurbishment, with two hoists and full-access changing rooms.
A community, not just a club
“We really work together as a community, and a lot of us special need parents absolutely get it,” says Rachel. Members check up on each other and make sure new members feel welcome and supported.
For Francesca, whose son Freddie has been swimming with Seals for about a year, it is somewhere he can feel comfortable and free to be himself: “It’s made not only a positive difference to my son’s swimming ability but benefitted us as a family both socially and physically.”