Deborah Beckley took up diving aged 60 and wants to encourage everyone to have a go at achieving their personal goals. Interview by Kristina Pedder
VOLUNTEERLIFE
FACTFILE
Name: Deborah Beckley Job titles: Club Chair, Open Water Instructor First dive: 2022
Deborah Beckley lives in Byram in North Yorkshire and is a member of Pontefract Scuba Club. She learned to dive in 2022.“ I thought I’ d best give it a go after major back surgery,” she tells me.“ At the age of 60, the clock was ticking. Some might say diving wasn’ t the best thing to take up; Aquarobics may have been more suitable. I can honestly say I didn’ t know what I was getting into.”
I think that’ s remarkable, but it turns out to be business as usual from a remarkable woman.“ I live with my extremely supportive husband Rick,” Deborah says,“ who gets roped into all of my‘ good ideas’.”
So, Deborah and daughter Louise learnt to dive. A week after qualifying, they did a RIB dive on holiday in France.“ I love learning new things and adding more knowledge to enrich things as I go,” Deborah tells me. She’ s now a Dive Leader, working towards Advanced Diver.“ I saw the syllabus,” she says,“ and it seemed really interesting.”
A firm believer in giving back, Deborah was Club Secretary in her first year and added Welfare Officer in her second. Then she did an Instructor Foundation Course and became an Assistant Diving Instructor, before becoming Chair.“ I hadn’ t planned on becoming any more of an instructor,”
Stepping up, and up
Deborah Beckley took up diving aged 60 and wants to encourage everyone to have a go at achieving their personal goals. Interview by Kristina Pedder
Deborah( right) on a Lundy trip with her friend Sammy Norton
VOLUNTEERINGHIGHLIGHT
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I’ m particularly invested in promoting diving to women; two years ago, we had three active female divers out of 25 members. Both numbers have risen, we now have 20 active female club members out of 60 – that’ s 33 per cent.
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