Barbara Firmin

It is with great sadness that we announce that Barbara Firmin, our founder member, has passed away at the age of 94. She was one of four people - Mike and Barbara Firmin, Edna Russell and Tom Kennedy - who started the club that is now known as Rushmoor Artistic Swimming Club, back in 1966. Her daughter Susan was one of the first swimmers and the club started small and was based in the Command Baths, Queen’s Avenue, Aldershot. Over almost 60 years the club has grown to over 120 swimming members currently. Barbara was fully involved in the club and synchro throughout the country, attending competitions as an official and sitting on committees to help run the sport. She was the President of Hampshire Swimming Association and her cakes baked for the annual Christmas show raffle were legendary.

In later years, Barbara maintained a keen interest in the club and loved to hear about competition successes and other club news. As we prepare to celebrate our Diamond Anniversary in 2026 we are sad that Barbara will not be here to celebrate with us but she knew and approved of all our plans so she will be there in spirit.

We owe her and the other founder members a huge debt of gratitude for making the brave decision to start the club. Thousands of swimmers have passed through the club, learning the skills of synchronised swimming such as watermanship, team spirit, collaboration and strength of mind. We will remember them all as we move into the 7th decade of the club.