SWIMMING: TRIBUTES have been paid to the head coach of Thurrock Swimming Club Alan Mitchell who died of liver cancer last week.

Club members remembered the popular coach at their club night on Friday and swimming club friends observed a minute’s silence in honour of the man who had done so much for the club. Club secretary Hazel Day reflected many of the tributes to the coach when she said: “Alan dedicated his life to swimming and the club and sport will be a far lesser place without him.” Mitchell joined the Thurrock club as an ASA/UKCC Level Three coach in May 2011. Before this he’d coached swimmers from development to national level.

And his swimmers had racked up a British record, National Championship win as well as Commonwealth trials and British Senior Championship success.

Mitchell put into place a three year plan at Thurrock and managed to successfully turn the club around. Friends at the club said that they would remember Alan as a tough task master, but always hardworking, dedicated, loyal and a truly inspirational coach. He even spent his last days writing training plans in readiness for his departure so that the children he was so close to could continue with their training. His illness meant that he had been unable to attend the recent training camp to Majorca last month.

But he’d still been in constant contact with his assistant, Paul Hayes, to check on his young swimmers progress.

Just a few days before Mitchell’s death one Thurrock swimmer, Harry Geggus, raised £1,000 for the Cancer Research UK by shaving his head. Mitchell’s swimmers – aged between eight and 15 – contributed by helping to raise more cash and club chair, Ray Moore has managed to raise a further £750 for UK Cancer thanks to his Movember efforts. So far, that’s a total of over £2,000 being donated in Mitchell’s namer.

Hazel Day said: “Alan’s only concern was for his swimmers.

“He had penned a beautiful, heart rendering but inspirational letter to the children, explaining the situation in terms that they could deal with. “This also provided them with the strength to continue their hard work and dedication in his name. “Alan had too many jokes, anecdotes, quotes and sayings to remember.

“However in his final letter he reminded the young swimmers that ‘a winner never quits, and a quitter never wins’. I think that quotation will stay with the children.”

Mitchell had a great sense of fun too and famously posed in the Usain ‘Lightning’ Bolt pose at a swim camp, to the delight of his young charges.

“He was held in high esteem by the sport’s referees and officials.

“And during his two-and-a-half-year tenure at Thurrock, his swimmers achieved County Championship success and dozens of silver and bronze medals, along with the regional championship title,” she added.