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Poppy’s doggy paddle will make a splash for charity
Swimmers taking part in one of the swim calendar’s most popular events will once again have a four-legged contestant to compete against.
Swimmers taking part in one of the swim calendar’s most popular events will once again have a four-legged contestant to compete against.
Because alongside the many two-legged entrants in the Henley Swim Festival on July 10 will be black Labrador Retriever and swimming enthusiast Poppy, who is doggy paddling to help raise funds for SwimTayka!
Poppy belongs to the charity’s founder, Bryan Avery, and she will join him for the mile-long swim. This will be the third time Poppy has taken part, and she hopes to beat her personal best of just over 30 minutes.
She’ll be sponsored to raise funds for SwimTayka, which runs programmes around the world, teaching children to swim, to help combat the alarming annual statistic of 360,000 global deaths from drowning.
“This is the third time Poppy has taken part and we’re grateful to the organisers of Henley Swim Festival for allowing her to do so,” said Bryan, from Swindon.
“We’ll join the last wave of the event, and I am sure she will really enjoy it. She loves the fuss people make of her and it is a great way of raising awareness of SwimTayka too.”
Five-year-old Poppy will swim behind Bryan, wearing her special dog float coat. Bryan himself is a keen open water swimmer, who swims regularly at Lake 32 on Cotswold Water Park, and is often accompanied by Poppy.
Bryan said: “She’s done really well the last two years, and I am sure she will again. We’ve been training hard, and are all set. The fact that we are raising money for SwimTayka gives us even more incentive.”
To sponsor Poppy, visit https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/PoppySwimsaMile. For more about SwimTayka, visit https://swimtayka.org/.
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