Three times a year we hold a Pyjama Week, where our swimmers attend lessons in their pyjamas and learn vital lifesaving and personal survival skills, and in our autumn Pyjama Week (15th - 21st October this year), our swimmers raise money for charity.
Wearing pyjamas during swimming lessons is about more than just having fun. Most accidents will happen while your child is fully clothed, so Pyjama Week will give a great indication of what this will feel like. It will help them realise that they will feel heavier but they will still be able to do the important life-saving manoeuvres like kicking to the surface and reaching for the side.
Each local team chooses a charity close to their hearts, and last year our swimmers managed to raise almost £50,000, taking our total over three years to a whopping £147,000. This year we’d love to beat last year’s total, and these are the charities that we will be raising money for:
A Sibling's Wish: The Harvey Hext Trust - www.asiblingswish.com
The Maypole Project - www.themaypoleproject.co.uk
Child Bereavement UK - childbereavementuk.org
Home Start Wirral - homestartwirral.co.uk
Rainbow Trust - rainbowtrust.org.uk
Firefly - www.firefly-support.co.uk
Poole Hospital Charity with proceeds going to Dorset Cancer Centre - www.poolehospitalcharity.co.uk
Sands Stillbirth and Neonatal Death Charity - www.sands.org.uk
St George’s Hospital Children’s Appeal - www.stgeorgeshospitalcharity.org.uk/current-appeals/children
Sue Ryder Leckhampton Court Hospice - www.sueryder.org/how-we-can-help/leckhampton-court-hospice
Ollie's Army - olliesarmy.co.uk
Chestnut Tree House Hospice - www.chestnut-tree-house.org.uk
Alder Hey Children's Hospital - alderhey.nhs.uk
Little Liam’s Trust - www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/love4liam
Ronald McDonald House at Alder Hey - www.rmhc.org.uk/our-houses/alder-hey
The Fertility Foundation - fertilityfoundation.org
Maggie's Centres - www.maggiescentres.org
Little Buds Fund at Darent Valley Hospital - www.dvh.nhs.uk/about-us/fundraising/little-buds-appeal
Rainbows Hospice - www.rainbows.co.uk
Bluebell Wood Children's Hospice - www.bluebellwood.org
Nottingham Neonatal Unit - www.nuh.nhs.uk/specialist-services-neonatal
Oxford Hospitals Charity - www.ouh.nhs.uk/charity
Alfie’s Gang - www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/Alfies-Gang
Noah's Ark Children's Hospital - noahsarkcharity.org
Neonatal Unit at Ipswich Hospital - www.ipswichhospital.nhs.uk/a-zofservices/wards/framlingham-ward-neonatal-unit.htm
The Shelley Centre for Therapeutic Riding - www.shelleyrda.com
First Touch - www.first-touch.org.uk
Sickness Support (Hyperemesis) UK - www.pregnancysicknesssupport.org.uk
Mummy’s Star - www.mummysstar.org
4Louis - 4louis.co.uk
Tiny Hearts Appeal Barnsley - www.barnsleyhospitalcharity.co.uk/tiny-hearts
Little Troopers - www.littletroopers.net
Lady Zia Wernher School - www.ladyziawernherschool.com
Clic Sargent - beta.clicsargent.org.uk
Calderdale Neonatal Unit - www.cht.nhs.uk/services/clinical-services/neonatal-unit
Birmingham Children's Hospital - bwc.nhs.uk
Alzheimer's Society - www.alzheimers.org.uk
Abbie's Fund - www.abbiesfund.co.uk
To find out which charity your local team is supporting, and to get involved, visit our Local Teams page and find your area.
If you’re taking part, we’d love for you to send your photos to our Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.
