Euan Dale competed at the highest level but has not forgotten the club where he started out [Getty Images]

A Scottish Olympian has urged a Borders community to rally round to help keep his old swimming club alive.

Euan Dale started out in the sport with Duns Amateur Swimming Club and went on to win double Commonwealth Games silver for Scotland and compete for Team GB at the Beijing Olympics.

He then embarked on a successful coaching career and says he would not be where he was today without his early days in the Borders.

The club needs more young swimmers to join and backing from local businesses to cover costs in order to avoid going under.

“It would be devastating for the community if the swimming club was to close but also for the wider development of swimming as a sport in the Borders,” said Dale.

He said it had been a “positive platform” for many people and, while there were other clubs in the region, its potential loss would be a major blow.

“If Duns club closes it would be really disappointing and would reduce the opportunities for youngsters now and in the future, in Berwickshire and further afield, to step up into regular swimming,” he added.

The pool itself is not under threat but the club could be forced to wind up this summer which Dale said would have a bigger impact than some might imagine.

The swimming club needs more members and assistance with costs [BBC]

“I can’t do what I’m doing now at the top level without clubs like Duns,” he said.

“For, me, the local club was a place where I could push myself and find my potential.

“To be honest, it started off just as a place to connect with friends, but I know now that it set the foundations for what was possible for me as an athlete.

“I have always been really proud of what my town did there and so I am really sad to hear that the swimming club is in danger of closing.”

He said he could still remember walking through its doors as a “catalyst moment” for him.

“I looked at a picture on the wall of David Wilkie, with two Olympic medals around his neck, and that was the aspirational moment for me that triggered a desire to go on and do great things,” he said.

“So, I hope the community can once again rally around the Duns club and keep it part of the Borders but also Scotland’s and GB’s future in swimming. We need it.”

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