Maidwell Primary School Pupils Participate in Children in Need Swimathon

Students from a primary school are participating in a sponsored swimathon to support Children in Need. Maidwell Primary School, located in Northamptonshire, confirmed that pupils from every age group would engage in the two-week challenge, without setting a specific distance goal. The school regularly utilizes the swimming pool at Maidwell Hall for its weekly lessons, and this facility will also host the swimathon. According to Headteacher Geoff Woods, “Children in Need gives the children an opportunity to appreciate that there are people who are less well off or less fortunate than themselves and they can help contribute to families that Children in Need support.” This initiative is one of several aquatic challenges organized for the BBC’s annual charity event. The previous week, BBC Radio Northampton collaborated with other radio stations nationwide to achieve a combined swim of 1,000 miles (1,609km). The students at Maidwell Primary have dedicated several weeks to organizing their challenge, with “the school council doing lots of preparation.” Mr. Woods expressed that the school was fortunate to have access to the Maidwell Hall facility, stating, “The children are paired up and are taking it in turns to swim while the other counts for them.” He mentioned that the students drew inspiration from a previous challenge undertaken by the school some years prior, which involved swimming the equivalent distance to Market Harborough, approximately seven miles (11.6km). He noted, “Some of the children remembered it and asked if they could have another go at a swimming challenge this year.” “At the time we didn’t know BBC Northampton were also doing a Children in Need swim.” For updates on Northamptonshire news, access BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram, and X. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC bears no responsibility for the content found on external websites. Information regarding our external linking policy is available.