Fearless five-year-old from Banburyshire strikes out as an open water swimmer

The five-year-old from Great Rollright has spent this summer taking on his first open-water swims, happily hopping into rivers, lakes and the sea to splash away.

Parents Sam and Kate Wood have brought up both of their children, Charlie and his sister Tessa, to have no fear of the water. When Charlie first started swimming with Water Babies Bucks and Beds in May 2015, when he was just eight weeks old, little were they to know that their son would have the confidence to tackle open water swimming at just five years old.

“It’s pretty amazing really, to see him go from weekly lessons at Sibford School to confidently taking on conditions that some adults wouldn’t even consider," said Mrs Wood. "There’s just no stopping him. Despite having only started at primary school last year, he’s already an avid open water swimmer and thinks nothing of hopping in a river, lake or the sea and splashing away - with our supervision, of course."

“Ever since he first started swimming with his coach Tamsin Brewis he’s felt more at home in the water than anywhere else,” said Charlie's Dad Sam. “It’s a passion we’ve really been able to explore this summer, with the restrictions on overseas travel.

"We’ve packed up the car a few times, going away to the Norfolk coast and meeting friends of ours and swimming in the Thames in Lechlade. Although we’ve tried multiple times to interest him in kayaking and bodyboarding, he just wants to be practising his swimming skills. In fact, convincing him to get out of the water can be a bit of a struggle.”

Charlie hopes to follow in the footsteps of one of Water Babies Bucks and Beds’ swimming teachers, Claire Dummer, who teaches at Sibford School, and tackled her first competitive open water swim in 2016. Four years on the mum-of-one has taken on a further three physically demanding challenges, including Coniston Water, the Henley Swim and Swim Serpentine.

“It’s so wonderful to see Charlie starting on his open water swimming journey. I didn’t attempt my first competitive open water swim until I was 41 and wished I’d started sooner. He has no fear, which is really encouraging. As a swimming teacher, I know how crucial it is to equip children with the confidence to play and exercise safely in the water."

At Water Babies, coaches like Ms Dummer teach little ones aged from six weeks to five years how to swim but, more importantly, how to remain safe in and around the water. With the new canal-side Castle Quay 2 development now underway, Water Babies’ business owner, Tamsin Brewis, feels this skill is crucial.

“I’ve been Charlie’s teacher since he first started swimming with Water Babies so to see first-hand just how far he’s come is incredible,” she said.

“Kate and Sam have done a great job of making sure both Charlie and Tessa have no qualms around the water and that is just so encouraging to see. For some parents, the uncertainty of water safety can put them off taking their children to lessons but, as the town is soon to unveil a family-friendly recreational development close to the canal, it’s really important that families feel equipped to cope in the new surroundings.

"Stories like Charlie’s are one in a million - I don’t know many other five-year-olds that would rather be splashing in a river than watching TV - but he’s a real inspiration. I can’t wait to see what he might go on to achieve - once he’s celebrated his sixth birthday, of course.”

Charlie's next ambition is to start underwater diving. He has asked if he can start learning to scuba dive after his sixth birthday next March.

For information about Water Babies see here.