Strobe light helps young deaf swimmer compete

Bethany's mother Amy said the new strobe light would allow her to compete without relying on other people

A young deaf swimmer is celebrating after a company funded a device which she says gives her an equal chance of success in contests against hearing competitors.

Bethany, 11, previously relied on watching fellow swimmers move as her signal that a race had started at Newcastle Staffs Swimming Club in Newcastle-under-Lyme School, Staffordshire.

Construction equipment firm JCB funded a £500 strobe light at the club which flashes on her starting block when a klaxon sounds for a race to begin.

"It gives her the independence she needs to enjoy the sport she loves," Bethany's mum Amy, from Stone, said.

The light meant she could compete and start her swim without having to wait or rely on others, she added.

"Bethany loves swimming and as well as being a member of Newcastle Staffs Swimming Club, she also is also a member of GB Deaf Swimming Club, competing in local, regional, and national galas," Amy, who works for JCB in Rocester, said.

"Unfortunately, many clubs don’t have a strobe light which can be attached to a specific starting block and Bethany would have to wait for others to move to know when the race starts."

Bethany was born with severe to profound bilateral hearing loss and said one day she hoped to swim at the Deaflympics.