Central Hawke’s Bay’s eighth annual Swim-A-Thon raises nearly $7000

The goal of the Swim-4-Lives programme is to provide 10 swimming lessons for all primary school-aged children in Central Hawke’s Bay.

Central Hawke’s Bay’s eighth annual Swim-A-Thon attracted 41 swimmers and six teams, swimming a combined 11.5 kilometres and bringing in $6835.70 to help support the Swim-4-Lives programme.

The goal is to provide 10 swimming lessons for all Central Hawke’s Bay children of primary school age, including lessons on deep water and safe boating. The programme is mainly centred around the Centralines Pool Complex in Waipukurau but also incorporates the Memorial Pool in Waipawa and some school pools.

The logistics of including all primary schools and kura means the programme is implemented over a two-year timeline, with the first cycle beginning in Term 4 in 2022.

The cost to cover instructors and buses to transport the children for the full two-year cycle is about $80,000 and, while support for the Swim-A-Thons is strong, the group relies on grants to help meet its goals.

The new two-year cycle is being supported by grants from Tū Manawa Active Aotearoa through Sport HB ($12,000) and Centralines ($15,000). An application has also been put in for Eastern and Central Community Trust funding.

Swim-4-Lives has also been supported by Kiri Kirk’s photography group with its CHB calendar fundraiser last year raising $4000 for the programme.

Swim-4-Lives organisers are grateful for the support from organisations, the swimmers and their sponsors, the volunteers and the donations received from businesses and the big funding organisations. They encourage any swimmers to take part in 2025 and help keep CHB tamariki safe in the water.