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A ten-year-old boy from Blackburn, who was born on the anniversary of D-Day, will be swimming the length of the five Normandy beaches in June, to commemorate the landing of the Allied forces that marked the beginning of the end of the Second World War.
Toby Bigwood, who is a keen swimmer and a member of the Blackburn Centurions Swimming Club, has persuaded his seven-year-old sister Pippa to join him for part of his Operation Swim challenge, to raise money for Help for Heroes. Between them, they will complete an incredible 2,430 lengths in total of the swimming pool, during the month-long challenge.
Toby, who loves military history and especially aircraft, very much hopes to join the RAF when he’s older. He says, “I hope my mum and dad can keep count of our lengths! The fact that my birthday is on the anniversary of D-Day is really special for me. I love hearing about what happened when the troops landed, especially the role of the planes. I was very excited to visit the Normandy beaches and the Pegasus Bridge Memorial last June.”
The Operation Swim challenge asks people to swim the equivalent lengths of one, two, three or all five of the Normandy beaches during June, with distances ranging from 5km to 46.5km, to raise funds to support veterans.
Toby and Pippa’s parents Catherine and Matt said, “Both kids work hard at their swimming and we’re so proud of them for taking on the challenge. This will, in fact, be the third year that Toby’s completed Operation Swim. He’s really enjoyed being part of the challenge, and has had great support from his friends, family and fellow swimmers at the pool. Toby will be doing four sessions a week in the pool for the whole of the month, plus some extra sessions alongside Pippa.
“Three of Toby and Pippa’s late great-grandfathers, David, Edward and John, all fought during the Second World War, so we are keen to ensure our family recognises the sacrifices that people made at the time. Unfortunately, they all passed before Toby and Pippa were born, so they never had the opportunity to hear their stories first-hand. We hope the challenge they are doing means a lot to veterans and those who are currently serving in the armed forces.”
We hope the challenge they are doing means a lot to veterans and those who are currently serving in the armed forces.”
Parent of Toby and Pippa
Kev Gray is an Ambassador for the Charity who lives in Lancashire and served in the Army for seven years. He said, “What an incredible pair Toby and Pippa are. It means so much to people like me who served in the armed forces, to hear that youngsters still support us. As a support paddler to several distance swimmers, I know that swimming that distance is a challenge for anyone – I hope everyone will join me in cheering them on.
“Members of my family also served during the Second World War, in such places as Burma, Egypt, Dunkirk and the north Atlantic. And my children’s great-grandfather, John Richard Darlington, won the Military Medal twice during the First World War and was awarded the British Empire Medal during the Second World War. It’s so important to keep remembering the people who gave so much for us.”