Little ones make a splash to help worthy causes

 Puddle Ducks has taught classes for 0-5-year-olds for the past year, and has recently started teaching Swim Academy, which is for children aged 5-10 years and Aquanatal classes. ,

Once a term, the children take part in Pyjama (PJ) Week.

This is a fun-filled session which requires the children to wear their pyjamas in the water and the activities are designed to teach the youngsters that being in the water with clothes on is a lot more tiring and it helps them learnskills that they can use if they ever found themselves in that situation.

The lessons don’t just focus on the children learning to survive and swim, they also teach the children what they could do to help someone else in that situation.

The ‘PJ Party’ fundraising week is a favourite in the Puddle Ducks calendar and nationally, more than 2,500 Pyjama Parties take place over seven days, with families being invited to support and raise money for a local charity.

The Tees Valley PJ Party week at Manor Community College swimming pool in Hartlepool chose to fundraise for Sunderland-based charity 4Louis.

The charity was set up to offer help and support to mothers and families who have suffered stillborn or neonatal deaths.

Children and their parents from theTees Valley area wore their pyjamas for the fundraising swimming lesson which saw them learning valuable water safety skills. This year the children managed to raised £4,035.

One of the Puddle Ducks members Savanna Rooney, managed to raise £700, making her the national Fundraiser of the Year.

Speaking about this year’s event, Lauren from Puddle Ducks in Tees Valley, said, “We were delighted to take part in this fundraiser.

“The lessons are great fun and enjoyed by all.

“We are proud to have helped raise such a huge amount of money for our first sponsored Pyjama Party and can’t thank 4Louis enough for supporting us along the way.”

“We had some of the staff from 4Louis coming along to see our swimming classes at Manor College, where they received their cheque.”

For further information on Puddle Ducks, visit www.puddleducks.com, or email [email protected] or telephone 01429278165 or 07710970733.