Always on
This project successfully funded on 30th September 2025, you can still support them with a donation.
WDSC 50th Anniversary Penguin Swimathon!
Carterton, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
First target reached!
You can help this project to raise more and reach its stretch target.
Aim
Witney & District Swimming Club will be holding a 24 hour 'Penguin Swimathon' to celebrate our 50th Anniversary!
Who are we?
Witney and District Swimming Club is celebrating its 50th Anniversary year in 2025, and as part of our celebrations we are holding a 24 hour 'Penguin Swimathon' event on the 13th-14th September, at Carterton Leisure Centre!
As part of our anniversary celebrations we are actively raising funds across the year to ensure the club will continue to thrive as a valuable part of the local community into the future. We have over 160 current swimmers between the ages of 7 and 80+, and thousands of local citizens, young and old, have been part of our club over the past half-century. We are run primarily by volunteers and on a not-for-profit basis.
We are known as the Witney Penguins, as our mascot for the last 50 years has been a penguin! We are a competitive club - with swimmers competing at County, Regional and National levels - yet also family-focused, and we have a huge community spirit.
Why are we crowdfunding?
We would love to raise £1,000 from our 'Penguin Swimathon' - of which 50% would go to club funds, and 50% would go to our chosen charity - Yellow Submarine. The event will run over 24 hours on the 13th and 14th September, and all swimmers in the club can be involved, as well as families.
We have set a target of attempting to swim 1210km, which is the distance from The Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic, to the Northern tip of the Antarctic peninsula - a distance of 1210km! The Falkland Islands and Antarctica are home to an estimated 20 million breeding pairs of penguins - so we should feel right at home! (It's a very long way........ if we don't quite get to the target in the 24 hours, we'll finish it in training in the coming weeks).
Why we need to raise funds for our club: in recent years costs have risen hugely - pool hire costs alone have increased by 83% since Covid. This has meant that we have had to increase fees to cover our costs, as well as having to deplete cash reserves from previous fundraising activities. In order to keep fees affordable for swimmers in the future, we need to generate income from other streams, fundraising being one of them.
About our chosen charity: Yellow Submarine is an award-winning Oxfordshire charity that believes people with learning disabilities and autism deserve to live life to the full! They offer a variety of services to those with mild to moderate needs including social clubs, activity days, residential holidays and a traineeship. These projects increase confidence and independence in our members as well as provide respite for families and carers. Their projects start with young people in community settings from the age of 11 onwards, to build their social skills, confidence, independence and ultimately their employability. They operate two social enterprise cafes, including at Windrush Leisure Centre where much of WDSC's training and galas take place.
How we’ll spend the money raised
50% of the funds raised will be donated to our chosen charity - Yellow Submarine.
The remaining 50% of the funds will go towards our overall WDSC fundraising pot for our 50th anniversary year.
(Funds will be divided and transferred net of platform fees).
Community impact
We have over 160 current members, and several families who have been involved for several generations. We play a part in maintaining the health, fitness and general well-being of young people (and adults) in our community.
Thank you to Better GLL for supporting us with this event.
How you can play your part
There are four simple ways to help us reach our target, and make this project a reality.
1. Make a pledge. Please make a pledge towards our £1,000 target - especially if you have a swimmer taking part in the swimathon - your money and support will really spur them on!
2. Spread the word. Share our project on your social media pages and tell the world to get behind us! The more people we reach, the more support we will get.
3. Take part. We need as many swimmers as possible to sign up for slots to contribute towards our journey to the Antarctic! Details on how to sign up have been circulated, but please contact Chantal on [email protected] to find out more.
3. Volunteer at the event. We need volunteers to help run the event, count laps, shepherd swimmers for their slots etc. Please contact Matthew on [email protected] to get involved.
Funding method
Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made