By Organiser Geri Beyer
On July 6 it’ll be the third year that the charity, Level Water, has run the Bantham Swoosh, a 6km swim that takes swimmers from Aveton Gifford down to Bantham Beach.
As the river narrows, it swooshes you along to the finish line, giving the event its name.
This year, due to the tides, it means an early start, with swimmers getting in the water from approximately 7am.
When most of the swimmers have emerged triumphant at Bantham Beach, it's time for the children's river adventure.
The Mini-Swoosh is a short, 1km swim that's open to children from 8 - 15 years old.
Each year children with disabilities who learn to swim with Level Water are invited to take part.
A wild swim in the stunning surroundings of South Devon is a dream that wouldn't have been possible without equal access to swimming. Level Water works with pools all over the UK to provide 1-to-1 lessons for children with physical disabilities and hearing/visual impairments.
None of this would be possible without the support of the local community at Aveton Gifford and Thurlestone.
This year, we will also be running the Bantham Boomerang, which begins at approximately 6pm on the July 6.
Swimmers will enter the water at Bantham beach at 7.30pm, swimming up-river until the tide turns.
Then they'll be boomeranged back to where they started. What’s lovely about this swim is that it’s for all abilities. Strong swimmers will have further to swim and return. Newbies can take their time going out, and again on the return swimming a shorter distance.
Children with physical and sensory disabilities aren’t able to join group lessons, and swimming teachers need special skills to understand how to support them.
All profits and funds raised from these events go to Level Water, who make it possible for children with disabilities to have swimming lessons all across the UK. In 2023 the Swoosh alone raised £170,000 to give these kids the greatest gift: the power of swimming.
For more details visit: https://www.levelwater.org/bantham-swoosh