I am swimming the 6km "Bantham Swoosh" down the beautiful river Avon again in memory of my dad. The area around Kingsbridge and Aveton Gifford were special to my dad and I have very precious memories of a lovely holiday with him there. He and mum went often and loved the area. My dad thought I was crazy last year for attempting to swim 6km so goodness only knows what he would think about me doing it again! This year the charity I have chosen to support is the Aveton Gifford Community Pool.

There has been a swimming pool at the village primary school since 1963, and since then hundreds and hundreds of children have been taught to swim. Aveton Gifford is a small village and the school isn’t large either – at present there are about 100 children there. The community took over the running of the pool and are determined to keep it open for them and all the other families in the parish. This year the winter pool cover has deteriorated quite a lot more, and that will cost about £2000. The plastic treads on the steps up from the pool will also need replacing, as they are reaching the end of their days - these will cost about £200. Hopefully my little bit of fundraising will go some way to support these costs.

Dad firmly believed in helping children and young people whenever he could and I know he would be immensely supportive of my efforts to support the community in Aveton Gifford.

Thank you.