Swimming has always been my happy place. In rivers and at the seaside as a child, with my sisters clutching our yearly season tickets in the pool, in the Indian ocean watching seahorses and in bracing Dartmoor pools -
whenever and wherever possible I will submerge myself into the coolness of any available puddle. But I needed a challenge and when the Bantham Swoosh came up on my news feed, with a small prod from a friend, I decided to go for it. This 6K swim in south Devon is also an opportunity to raise funds for Aveton Gifford Community pool. About the pool....

Learning to swim at Aveton Gifford has always been essential as it is so close to the sea, and the river is part of the village. There has been a swimming pool at the village primary school since 1963, and since then over 600 children have been taught to swim. It’s always been important both for safety and for health and wellbeing, but in these days of public funding cuts and the reduction of sports in school curriculums, it’s become even more so.
Aveton Gifford is a small village and the school isn’t large either – at present there are about 100 children there. The community has taken over the running of the pool now (see our web page – www.aveton-gifford.co.uk/facilities/swimming-pool) and they are determined to keep it open.
A message from Aveton Gifford Parish Council "We’d like to thank you all for your interest and support for our pool. We hope to inspire our own children with a love of swimming – and who knows, with your help, maybe they will be swimming the Swoosh in years to come!"

I will be swimming The Outdoor Swimming Society's 6km Bantham Swoosh on 24th June 2017 to raise money for the Aveton Gifford pool. If you can sponsor me and support my efforts I will be so grateful.