Olympic swimming star and UNCLE TOBYS Ambassador Cate Campbell was at Lawnton Aquatic Centre on Sunday 29 April to support Swim Kids Operation 10,000.

Lawnton Aquatic Centre hosted a Swimathon and Family Fun Day to raise awareness and funds for Swim Kids Operation 10,000; a fundraising campaign which is assisting Royal Life Saving Society – Australia provide free or subsidised Swim and Survive courses for 10,000 children who would otherwise miss out.

Lawnton Aquatic Centre raised $1096 for the Royal Life Saving Swim and Survive Fund, by holding a sausage sizzle every Saturday morning and collecting donations at Reception for a month.

The Swimathon and Family Fun Day was the grand finale to Lawnton’s Peer to Peer Online Fundraising campaign. Event activities included CPR and recovery position ‘Have a Go’ sessions, family aqua aerobics, Swimathon relays, noodle races and remarkable water safety advice from Olympic swimming star and UNCLE TOBYS Ambassador Cate Campbell.

Royal Life Saving Society – Australia would like to encourage Swim and Survive Partner facilities, sports clubs and members of the community to conduct their own Peer to Peer Fundraising activity to enable us to provide more children with the opportunity to Swim and Survive.

"Learning to swim is a vital safety skill that all Australian children should learn. We don't want children missing out because their parents can't afford the lessons." says Royal Life Saving Society - Australia CEO Rob Bradley. “Every donation, no matter how big or small could save the life of a less fortunate child, by providing them with vital skills in personal survival, water safety and basic rescue.” 

The Swimathon and Family Fun Day was hosted in Partnership with Royal Life Saving Society – Australia, Belgravia Leisure and Lawnton Aquatic Centre.

Drowning is a leading cause of preventable death in children aged 0-4 years. More than 50 children between the ages of 0-17 drown in Australia every year, highlighting the importance of swimming and water safety education for all Australian children. While many children are learning these skills, alarmingly, thousands of Australian children are missing out because of a lack of access or through financial disadvantage.

To set up your own Peer to Peer Fundraising Page in support of the Royal Life Saving Swim and Survive Fund or to make a donation, please visit http://royallifesavingonlinefundraising.org.au/event/swimandsurvivefund.