In a heartwarming display of athletic prowess and community spirit, SVS swimmers triumphed at the Maidstone Charity Swim Relay. The event took place at Maidstone Leisure Centre on Sunday, where teams of four to six swimmers were challenged to swim as many lengths as possible in 20 minutes. This year, the event saw an exceptional turnout, with 46 teams including local organisations such as Kent Police, Crossroads Young Carers, Sharon’s Swim School, Maidstone Disability Swimmers and Maidstone Harriers.

There were fantastic swims from all pupils, especially two SVPS swimmers Freddie B (Year 5) and Jacob S (Year 6), who joined our senior squads. The teams were striving to surpass the 68 lengths achieved earlier in the day by the Maidstone Harriers. The highlight of the event came when Seb H (Third Form), Finn J, Marcus R (both Fifth Form) and Charles S (Upper Sixth) powered through the water to victory, with a staggering total of 80 lengths.

Through their participation in the charity gala, teams from the Prep School and Senior School raised more than £1380 for Demelza. We would like to thank parents, staff and pupils for giving up their time on Sunday, and to everyone who has supported this fun event. If you would like to support this cause, you can still donate here.

(Pictured with MP for Maidstone, Helen Grant.)

Our teams and results:

Team 1: George F, Isabel G (both Third Form), George S (Fourth Form), Seren L-J and Grace M-G (both Fifth Form), with a total of 61 lengths and 4th place overall.

Team 2: Freddie B (Year 5, SVPS), Jacob S (Year 6, SVPS), Berenice D, Wilfred E-L, Kenji J-T (all First Form) and Lydia Head (Third Form), with a total of 54 lengths and joint 10th place overall.

Team 3: Seb H (Third Form), Finn J, Marcus R (both Fifth Form) and Charles S (Upper Sixth), with a total of 80 lengths and crowned relay winners.

Staff team: Miss Jelfs, Miss Gray, Mrs Wood and Mr Leung, with a total of 54 lengths and joint 10th place overall.