Speaker Meeting with Partners, 6.45 for 7pm

In the picture with our Club Vice-President is Bryan Avery, a co-founder of a charity called Swim Tayka and our speaker at this meeting.  Bryan Avery is an Ultra Marathon Swimmer who has swum the English Channel, in 14.5 hours, the Catalina Channel in Los Angeles, all around Manhattan Island, and many other places in the world.  

Bryan said that his type of long distance swimming is 20% swimming and 80% “keeping your mind right”.  And “dealing with your fears”.  Food and drink is important whilst swimming such distances and Bryan’s choice of sustenance is custard: “because it’s sweet and also soothing around the face.”

One interesting fact is that more people have climbed Everest than swum the English Channel.

Whilst on his travels Bryan realised that children living near water could not swim and so Swim Tayka (which means mother in Peruvian) was born.  Founded 18 months ago the charity provides free swimming lessons and environmental education for children.  It is currently working in Peru, Brazil, Bahamas and India. It is setting up a five year programme in each country with the aim of training local instructors to make the project self sustaining.  The charity also works with refugee children in the UK, particularly in Swindon.  To help with the child’s integration they use a “one to one system” with a child from the UK.

Bryan showed a short video made with a family from Bangladesh who lost two children by drowning.  He told us that approximately 42 deaths from drowning occur every hour of every day around the world. The World Health Organization reports that 91% of child drowning occur in low and middle-income countries.   Globally, the highest drowning rates are among children 1-4 years, followed by children 5-9 years. This stresses the importance of education into the dangers of the water.  

Furthermore, our world's waters are in crisis.  Less than 1% of the world's freshwater is accessible for human use. Nearly every major body of water is contaminated, facing depletion, or being fought over by riparian neighbours. With climate change, flooding and severe storms incidents are more frequent and more intense. In other areas, water levels are dropping, exposing slippery steep slopes and underwater hazards.

SwimTayka connects with organisations in waterside communities to develop and promote a dual mission program to provide swimming and clean water stewardship education for disadvantaged children. It recruits qualified volunteers in swimming instruction and environmental education from around the world. Volunteer programmes run from two weeks to two months and include instruction in basic water safety, swimming, first aid, and environmental education.

Swim Tayka is supported by the world Health Organisation, RNL and the Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation.  If is operated by 5 Trustees in the UK, 5 Border Directors in the USA and has around 30 volunteers.

Swim Tayka website