“I’m so excited for Birmingham 2022 and it’s incredible to have an Olympic size pool built in Sandwell. To have this kind of facility as a legacy for people to be able to use after the Games is amazing and I can’t wait to play my part as an establishment Trustee to the legacy charity.”

Eleanor ‘Ellie’ Simmonds OBE is a five-time Paralympic Champion and shot to fame in 2008 when she won her first Paralympic medal at the age of 13 at the Beijing Paralympic Games. Later that year she became the youngest winner of the BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year. She was awarded an MBE at the age of 14. Ellie has continued to dominate her sport, winning 14 World titles, ten European titles and broken numerous world records along the way. Since leaving full-time education, Ellie has worked with charities such as the Dwarf Sports Association, WaterAid, and I AM WATER.

Ellie is an independent member of the Birmingham 2022 Organising Committee Board and is driven to inspire the next generation to love swimming, both as a competitive sport, but also as an essential life skill.