Taunton School Channel triumph

Taunton School pupils have raised funds for charity by swimming the Channel – and some couldn’t even swim at the outset of training

Nine 13-year-old pupils and four staff from Taunton School swam the English Channel recently, raising almost £8,000 for military charity Scotty’s Little Soldiers. This was the culmination of two years’ training – some pupils couldn’t swim at all at the outset. They are Taunton’s ninth team to achieve this feat.

The children completed their swim led by Taunton Prep School Headmaster Ed Burnett, along with Head of Geography and the school’s Long Distance Swimming Club lead coach Hamish McCarthy.

“The English Channel is known as the ‘Everest of swimming’ and the mindset, ambition and teamwork needed to complete it requires something special,” says Ed Burnett. “As our 13-year-old pupils have shown over the last two years, hard work and commitment builds the courage to succeed. I am very proud of them for the work they have put in.”

 Scotty’s Little Soldiers is a charity dedicated to supporting children and young people who have experienced the death of a parent who served in British Armed Forces. The charity provides a range of programmes to support their bereavement needs, wellbeing, education and development.

Taunton School tauntonschool.co.uk

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