Over 700 of our Puddle Ducks took to the water fully clothed this month in a bid to raise what they could for local charity Visyon, who support the mental health of children, young people and their families.
Every autumn we hold a week long Charity Pyjama event where children raise money by attending lessons dressed in their pyjamas, teaching them valuable water safety and survival skills. Puddle Ducks asked their swimmers to vote for a charity close to their hearts, and this year Visyon was chosen.
Visyon which is based in Congleton was set up by a group of parents following a number of local suicides, and aims to improve the mental health and confidence in young people. The charity offers a wide variety of services, from one to one therapy and family support work to creative activities and therapeutic play. The money raised by Puddle Ducks Mid Cheshire will all go towards supporting their Under 11’s, where Visyon have huge waiting lists and currently receive no funding. When it comes to mental health Visyon are keen to act as quickly as possible, but without funding this isn’t always possible!
Franchise Manager Rachel Bateson explained, “Our Charity PJ Week is a great way of teaching our swimmers important lifesaving skills in a fun and relaxed envionment, whilst raising money for a great cause.
We were delighted to fundraise for Visyon, as they do fantastic work locally and have supported one of our Puddle Ducks families and we will continue to support them. We want to thank all of the children for joining us this week and for all of their great work in raising £2,680.19. We couldn’t have raised this amount without the generous support of Lloyds, who have provided match funding and will also be holding their own fundraising day for Visyon.”