Our Coaches

Richie Ralph

Head Coach

Comp Squads

  1. How long have you been with the Buxton Swimming club? 9 years
  2. What do you like most about being a coach? Having fun. Motivating swimmers. Designing plans to get swimmers to be their best.
  3. What’s your best achievement? Swimmers at regional level – Silver medal. For me, it was swimming Windermere, unsupported.
  4. What’s your best/favourite stroke? Front Crawl – so simple and effective!

Liam McWee

Head Coach

Academy and Masters groups

  1. How long have you been with the Buxton Swimming club? 15 years
  2. What do you like most about being a coach? Seeing the progression in our younger (and older) swimmers. Living by the saying “Do what you love”. I enjoy seeing all the swimmers develop and have fun at the same time.
  3. What’s your best achievement? Supporting Abbie Wood’s swimming when she was younger and coaching Masters swimming. Taking Masters to Nationals.
  4. What’s your best/favourite stroke? Breaststroke

James Mellor

Comp Squads and Masters

  1. Who & What do you Coach? Comp Squads and Masters
  2. How long have you been with the Buxton Swimming club? 7 years
  3. What do you like most about being a coach? Seeing the improvement in a swimmer, not just in terms of ability but also seeing their love for swimming and competition grow.
  4. What’s your best achievement? Gaining my Level 2 coaching qualification in 2025
  5. What’s your best/favourite stroke? Front crawl

Jane Woodward

Comp Squads

  1. How long have you been with the Buxton Swimming club? I have been coaching for 5 years and J1 official for 2 years.
  2. What do you like most about being a coach? Watching the swimmers progress and their development as competitive swimmers fills me with joy.
  3. What’s your best achievement? June 2025 I swam 7.5km down the Menai Strait and raising £800 for Vision Action.
  4. What’s your best/favourite stroke? Breaststroke – coordination and glide!

Verity McWee

Academy

  1. How long have you been with the Buxton Swimming club? 25 years +
  2. What do you like most about being a coach? Providing a fun, friendly but disciplined environment, where I am able to watch swimmers develop into competing athletes, whilst they enjoy training and attending the sessions.
  3. What’s your best achievement? Bronze medal at nationals for 200m Backstroke / training and competing with Abbie Wood when younger
  4. What’s your best/favourite stroke? Backstroke

Amy Evans

Learn to Swim

  1. How long have you been with the Buxton Swimming club? 15 years +
  2. What do you like most about being a coach? Seeing the kids progress.
  3. What’s your best achievement? Watching swimmers go from completely anxious of the water, to super confident and enjoy coming.
  4. What’s your best/favourite stroke? Front crawl

Amelia Young

Learn to Swim, Academy & Masters

  1. How long have you been with the Buxton Swimming club? 12.5 years - x number of years as a swimmer and x years as a coach.
  2. What do you like most about being a coach? After teaching them in Learn to Swim, helping them to develop their stroke technique
  3. What’s your best achievement? Qualifying to swim at regionals
  4. What’s your best/favourite stroke? Backstroke/ Butterfly

Amy Roberts

Comp Squads

Rob Wilson

Academy & Masters

Eva Sprenglewska

Learn to Swim

Martha Harris-Wood

Learn to Swim

  1. How long have you been with the Buxton Swimming club? 10 years. Swam for 9 years, volunteered and taught for 3 years.
  2. What do you like most about being a coach? I like seeing the progress the children make while having fun and enjoying their swimming
  3. What’s your best achievement? Qualifying for Countys every year, even after my injury I got myself back the following year.
  4. What’s your best/favourite stroke? Butterfly & Freestyle