THE mother of a promising multi-disability swimmer has spoken of fears that cuts in Bradford’s competitive swimming programme could mean her 16-year-old daughter misses out on a shot at the next Paralympics or Commonwealth Games.

Danielle Bailey joined the City of Bradford Swimming Club last year from Harrogate and has gone on to break a British record that stood for 22 years. In December, the Otley teenager claimed the 15 years and over S4 50 metres freestyle title at the club’s winter open meet, knocking over a second off the old record.

Her mum Lindsay fears changes to the Bradford Council-run training programme, and the national potential scheme Danielle is involved in, will affect her chances of making it to Rio in 2016 or the Gold Coast in 2018. She said: “This is a girl who is talented and has chosen this as her career. She is limited as to career because of her disability. But the talk of cuts is already affecting her. She is concerned about her future and not sleeping.” Senior coach Andy Pearce, employed by the council, “really helped” Danielle, who was disabled by meningitis at age four.and that his skills were a big part of the reason for moving to the City of Bradford club.