It may seem unlikely that a Channel swim can take place anywhere other than between England and France, but that is exactly what happened when students in South Korea got together to stage a fundraiser for SwimTayka.
Swimming in Peru: seven weeks of lessons are underway
We’re helping more children than even to learn to swim in Peru, thanks to our partnership with NGO on the ground Otra Cosa Network.
And we’re thrilled that soon among the volunteers could be some of the children who learnt to swim on a SwimTayka programme.
Double gold for SwimTayka’s Bryan Avery at Ice Swimming World Championships
Last week saw Samoéns, in France, host the 5th Ice Swimming World Championships and we’re delighted that our very own Bryan Avery was taking part.
Bryan is an enthusiastic open-water swimmer, and he was representing Team GB in the 100m and 50m breaststroke swims.
Teaching the teachers: how volunteers are supporting our Mozambique programme
A vital part of running programmes with our partner projects around the world is providing quality swim instruction to the children – which is where some of our volunteers come in.
The focus of our partner in Mozambique – Love the Oceans – is to support the local community in establishing a Marine Protected Area in the Inhambane Province, along the coastline of Guinjata. Teaching swimming is one small part of this bigger project, which is putting environmental concerns for marine life at its heart.
Triumphing after 19 hours and 35 miles: Phil’s Channel swim
Imagine swimming for 16 hours across the Channel, being within one mile of the French coast and then having to keep going for another three hours because of the pesky current.
That’s exactly what happened to Channel swimmer Phil Preece, 54, who discovered it was a case of mind over matter to ensure he successfully completed the challenge. In total his swim took 19 hours, he travelled 35 miles and he had to give it everything he had to get to shore.
Meet our Bali volunteers: teaching swimming in the tropics
For only his second time on a plane, taking a journey of nearly 8,000 miles to help teach children to swim on a tropical island was pretty intrepid for SwimTayka volunteer Brandon Carter.
But that’s just what he and fellow volunteer Jemima Brimacombe did this summer, when they spent two weeks in Bali, helping with the SwimTayka swim programme.
Close your eyes for a moment and imagine…
You’re on holiday… on a wonderfully idyllic, pristine beach… walking along with your feet in the cool water.
You stop for a moment to admire the view, smell the sea air and feel the warm sun on your face.
You’re not too deep, so you stand firmly, feeling your toes in the sand as the water touches just below your knees.
The foamy waves wash up against your legs and drawback as you admire being in such a beautiful place.
You take a moment to enjoy it … and BREATHE!
Preparing for a Channel Relay swim for SwimTayka
Getting into the cold sea at Dover for a swim may not be everyone’s idea of a great weekend. In fact, it’s possibly more ‘wet’ than ‘great’.
But for the intrepid members of this year’s SwimTayka Channel Relay teams it’s an essential part of their training, and one they all embraced with relish.
Swim programmes make a splash landing in Brazil
Learning to swim and learning to care for the environment are back on the curriculum, as our swim lessons once again make a splash in Brazil.
Thanks to the SwimTayka partnership with ETIV do Brasil, children living in and around Itacaré, Bahia, on Brazil’s beautiful Cocoa Coast, are now taking part in our swimming programme and learning this essential life skill.
Photographer showcases SwimTayka’s drowning prevention work
Thanks to the talents of photographer John Peltier, we have a fantastic gallery of images from our programme in Peru – the first we have been able to run for two years, due to Covid.
Working with Photographers Without Borders, John spent time with SwimTayka in the coastal city of Huanchaco. Here, we partner with Otra Cosa Network, an NGO which runs programmes for local children focusing on literacy, environmental awareness, sustainability and drowning prevention (which is where we come in).
