Ethan goes the extra mile 

The past 18 months have been a difficult period for grass root sports clubs. Among those feeling the pinch of the pandemic is one of South Wiltshire’s oldest swimming clubs – Salisbury Stingrays.

“We realised our finances were going down because we haven’t been unable to run our big swimming competitions, so we needed to do some fundraising,” said Philippa Hemming, the club’s fundraising officer.

Determined to support his swimming club, Philippa’s son, Ethan Hemming (age 12), decided to run in his swimming hat and goggles for every day of the fundraising campaign (30 days). 

“He has run around the Cathedral, Old Sarum and we are hoping to do Stonehenge too. It has been more of a mental challenge for Ethan, going out and running in his hat and goggles every day, but he has done so well and I am super proud of him.”

So far the club and Ethan have raised a joint total of £5,396.

Local organisations have come together to support the club, donating theatre tickets, gym membership, and free entry to the Salisbury Museum. 

“We wanted to give something back to the people who donated. This is a great way of working with other local organizations to raise awareness of the swim club and the importance of learning to swim and living a healthy lifestyle,” added Philippa. 

Since 1889, Salisbury Stingrays has offered swimming lessons and competitive swimming squads to swimmers of all ages. The club is run by a dedicated team of teachers, coaches and parents. 

“We really want to ensure that the club can keep operating for its members and the community. We want to invest back into all areas of the club including our swim school and senior ‘master’ swimmers. Our swimmers have an age range of 4-years-old to 90!” Explained Philippa.

Salisbury Stingrays are always looking for new members, so if you would like to get involved, click here. 

To donate, click here.