The UK Government won't fund this "extra" part of my daughters' school. The pool at St Johns Infant school Glastonbury has been supported entirely by parents and teachers of the school for over 30 years. For some members of our school community, this pool is their only chance to learn how to swim and experience the joys of being in a pool. It is a lifeline for them, providing water confidence and teaching a vital life skill. Yet, with the escalating fuel costs and lack of funding, there is a genuine concern that the school may struggle to sustain this facility.

Glastonbury, according to the Indices of Multiple Deprivation (IMD), faces various challenges across multiple domains such as income, employment, health, education, and living environment. A significant portion of our community struggles with economic hardships, including low household incomes and limited employment prospects. These financial constraints often lead to social exclusion and hinder access to essential resources and opportunities.

As sport and swimming in particular has always been a very essential part of my personal wellbeing i felt it fitting to channel my own sporting efforts into raising money to help maintain this amazing facility. A private pool in a community school is a rare thing here in the UK..

https://alwaysaimhighevents.com/events/slateman-triathlon-2023

I have been training for over 6 months for the Slateman Olympic distance Triathalon in Snowdonia on June 11th this year. I will swim 1500m in the Llanberis mountain lake with water temps as low as 11degrees, then cycle 53 km along and around the mountain roads with over 700m of uphill riding ( equivalent of 2 x up Cheddar Gorge), then run 11 km up the Llanberis Slatemine with more than 400m of uphill running ( equivalent of 3 x up Glastonbury Tor). I aim to do this in under 4.5 hours

Am i mad? yes of course! Are you inspired? Please donate!

I cannot wait to cross the finish line in North Wales on June 11th

My training journey on lanes, along main roads, uphills, through forests, in rivers , quarries and beaches so far this year has taken me on an amazing adventure exploring parts of myself and the West Country that i never knew existed . It has undoubtedly reaffirmed what i already knew: That physical movement is medicine as much for our minds as our bodies and an ESSENTIAL part of all of our lives. This pool is not an EXTRA!

We need to model daily movement to our younger generations. We need to make sure they have access to sports facilites throughout their childhood to explore the different ways that exercising might work for them as individuals in order to develop habits that they will carry into their adult lives.

Join me on this journey, and let's make a lasting difference in the lives of our children now and future children of Glastonbury. Donate today and help us maintain this invaluable swimming pool.

follow my training on strava @fayechadburn

And training and fundraising updates on my artist instagram @fayesuannah