Sponsored Swim for our Charity of the Year

People we support raise £900 pounds for our local Charity of the Year through a sponsored swim.

Groups across West Surrey were working on their health and wellbeing in the community. They attended local leisure centres and gyms to work out, go swimming and make friends.   

A discussion broke out amongst members of the Woking group. How many lengths could everyone swim across the pool? As the conversation progressed an idea came to life, a sponsored swim to not only get fit but to raise money as well. The group sat down and discussed how they could all take part, as each person had different physical abilities. They agreed that it didn’t matter how long it took them as long as they achieved their goal of a hundred circuits of the pool.  

A week later, Community Support Worker, Patrick, spoke to the Farnham group about the sponsored swim. The group jumped at the opportunity as Justin said “I want to do that, it’s a great idea to help others”.  

Each week, Patrick tracked how many circuits each person swam. Both groups were making friends in the community, and they were encouraged each time they got into the pool.  After months of hard work, commitment, and dedication, every person completed their goal. The money was collected and counted, and they all were delighted to discover they had raised £900. 

Personal achievements and benefits

As well as raising money, the groups had their own personal achievements and benefits for taking part.  

Andrew got stronger in his legs as he went from doing five circuits in the pool to fifteen. This has given him motivation to keep himself stronger. “I feel a lot stronger now, and I am really pleased with what I have achieved”. 

Stephen achieved his goal by losing some weight. “I’ve lost weight this week, and I feel that I can do others things to help me lose weight”.