Aireborough Sub-aqua Club ASC 2000

Founders page by David & Pamela Richardson

WELCOME

This ambition started in 1999 with David bending the ear of fellow diver Mick Hird about starting a diving club at Aireborough they both lived in Guiseley and haled from Leeds BSAC club.

So, Aireborough Sub-aqua Club was started in the year 2000 by founder members David and Pamela Richardson, Mick Hird along with help from Heather Richardson.

It started with a try dive week, held at Aireborough Leisure Centre, this summer time slot was ‘dropped’ into the laps of David & Pam with the words from Heather “now I have got you the time, organise the try dive week”. Off Pam and David went to the local dive shop, Divers Warehouse to ‘borrow’ some gear. They borrowed about 6 sets of gear plus our own gear to carry out the diving experience. This was a success each morning for a week for about an hour it showed that there was the potential in the area for the club. We also gave the staff a taster session as well.

Next we contacted BSAC and filled in all the paperwork required to make a club happen, so what about members? It was a case of chicken and egg. You need members to make a club but you need a club with members? A notice was posted for the first meeting in October 2000 and from that the club was started.

The membership price was £60 a year and the equipment was a mixture of David, Mick’s, Pam’s plus David’s children’s equipment a total of 5 sets. So the training was a mixture of diving and snorkelling.

Pool time was originally 9.30 till 10.15, over time, in liaison with the centre, we now have an hour timeslot and to 9 till 10. There is the rumour that as divers like liquid above and below water and it was important to take full advantage of the bar time upstairs and 15 mins was not long enough.

We have always maintained that the club keeps the key points of a members diving be safe, fun and exciting.

The club has grown since these early days reaching a membership of 50 plus and developing a flexible, friendly, family atmosphere seeing many people come along.