On Sunday’s 5th and 12th September Newton Abbot Swimming Club held a Sponsored Swim and Distance Badge night for children in the ‘Learn to Swim’ classes.  Children had to aspire to swim a certain distance before the night and every single child who took part exceeded their expectations.  They gained badges ranging from 25m (1 length of the pool) to 1600m (64 lengths) – the swimming equivalent of a mile!!  In total 4 children managed to swim the mile, Shaun Cooper, Thomas Grey, James Sinclair-Fisher and Haydn Wooley, with 4 more children achieving 1000m (40 lengths), Giles Howe, Charlotte Jehan, Jessica Maxwell and Erin Throgmorton-Appleby at 5 years old almost the youngest swimmer to enter – a phenomenal achievement!  A further 14 children achieved half-a-mile swim (32 lengths).  Altogether a total of 79 children took part and in 1½ hours they swam an incredible 19.97 miles, that’s the same as from Newton Abbot Leisure Centre to Crealy Adventure Park!!  Some of the money raised from the sponsored swim is to be used to purchase two trophies; male and female swimmers of the month for learn to swim children and with many worthy recipients it’s going to be difficult to decide who receives them first!!