Local baby swim school supports Sands stillbirth charity

Local baby swim school owner, Tamsin Brewis, has raised money for child bereavement charity, Oxfordshire Sands. Tamsin and her team at Water Babies have been selling hundreds of brightly coloured hessian shopping bags to their customers.

With much uncertainty surrounding NHS services in the Banbury area recently, Tamsin believes that local fundraising and raising awareness for crucial charities like Oxfordshire Sands is more important than ever: “It’s something that is so close to all of our hearts and to all of the mums and dads who bring their little ones to swim with us.”

Speaking about the importance of supporting her local community, Banbury based instructor, Tamsin, said: “I’ve worked with parents and their young children for many years and, unfortunately, I’ve seen first-hand how illness and bereavement can devastate families.”

June is Sands awareness month. Sands offers support to anyone affected by the loss of a new born child. With help from donations, the charity offers professional advice, support for siblings and family members, and even memory boxes for parents to treasure. These services are all funded by donations. “There are many bereaved families in our local area who are affected by the tragic death of a baby. We’re very grateful to Water Babies for raising this great amount for Oxfordshire Sands because we rely purely on donations. Our voluntary work is a lifeline for many going through immense devastation,” said Karen and Vicky, volunteers at Oxfordshire Sands.

A key member of the local community, Tamsin has been teaching local babies, infants and pre-schoolers to swim for over ten years. Classes have a focus on child development and water safety, as well as nurturing the special bond between parent and baby in the water.


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About Water Babies

In a nutshell, we teach water confidence and safety skills to babies and toddlers. However, we're about so much more besides. Our classes are great for making new friends, helping to enhance the bonding process, having fun... and seeing the utter thrill of your little one gliding underwater towards you. In the last three years alone we know our lessons were directly responsible for saving the lives of ten little ones who otherwise might have tragically drowned. That makes us very proud. And we like raising money for other babies. To date, we've raised over £750,000 for Tommy's. And we're aiming to raise another £200,000 for them (possibly!) this coming summer.