Taunton Prep School pupils complete courageous English Channel swim
Taunton Prep School pupils complete courageous English Channel swim
A group of nine pupils and four members of staff from Taunton Prep School have successfully completed a relay swim of the English Channel, one of the world’s most testing swimming challenges.
The children braved the seas on 12th August 2025 to raise money for military charity Scotty’s Little Soldiers following two years of training led by Taunton Prep School’s Headmaster, Ed Burnett, and Head of Geography and the School’s Long Distance Swimming Club lead coach, Hamish McCarthy. Pupils have so far raised more than £7,250 for Scotty’s Little Soldiers, with donations still coming in.
Taunton Prep School has now successfully led nine groups to complete the English Channel swim, made up of more than 50 pupils and staff members, raising more than £75,000 for charity in the process.
Pupils were split into two teams to complete the 21-mile swim, with the Red Team completing their swim in 15 hours and 28 minutes, and the Pink Team finishing in 14 hours and 43 minutes. The students individually swam an hour at a time with all swimming twice and some swimming three times.
Ed Burnett, Head of Taunton Prep School, said: “The English Channel is known as the ‘Everest of swimming’ and the mindset, ambition and teamwork needed to complete it requires something special.
“As our 13-year-old pupils have shown over the last two years, hard work and commitment builds the courage to succeed. I am very proud of them for the work they have put in and I am delighted that they have completed their Everest.”
The group, known as Channel Titans V, began training for this momentous feat when they were just 10 and 11-years-old in Year 6 and have spent a vast amount of time in the School pool, Wiveliscombe outdoor pool, and in the open sea around Somerset and Devon during day and night time.
Many members of the group started the journey as complete beginners and have admirably built themselves up to the level required to complete one of the toughest swims in the world, despite record blooms of jellyfish due to this year’s warm weather and inquisitive dolphins.
The pupils regularly take part in swimming competitions around the UK with the School’s Long Distance Swimming Club and have recently completed the infamous Gwineas swim and the St Michael’s Mount swim amongst others – an activity they are looking forward to continuing throughout their time at Taunton School and beyond.
Scotty’s Little Soldiers is a charity dedicated to supporting children and young people who have experienced the death of a parent who served in British Armed Forces. The charity provides a range of programmes to support their bereavement needs, well-being, education and development and has pledged to help at least 1,000 children by 2030 and ensure every bereaved military child has access to the very best care.
Please visit https://www.justgiving.com/page/tauntonprepschoolchanneltitanv?utm_medium=FR&utm_source=CL&utm_campaign=015 to find out more and help support the Taunton Prep School Channel Titans and Scotty’s Little Soldiers.
