Swim for Harry
Pupils came together from across the Junior and Senior Schools for a sponsored swim this week in honour and memory of Year 8’s Harry.
Harry had been a pupil since Nursery, and his unexpected and tragic loss in 2022 at the age of 12 affected the entire school community. Harry had a natural talent for sports, was a keen swimmer and a particularly outstanding waterpolo player. His family chose to raise funds for Folly Wildlife Rescue, as Harry also loved animals and wildlife, and hoped to work with them in future.
The target was to swim the distance from London to Honfleur (France), the destination of their most recent family holiday and a place that holds special memories for the family. The 144-mile (232km) journey translated to 9216 lengths, a challenging target but one that was met through the stamina and determination of the swimmers.
Over 100 pupils took part in the swim over the course of two days, with swim squad teams taking part alongside a special session for all Senior school pupils who were particularly close to Harry. The swim was also joined by friends of Harry’s from outside the Colfe’s community, including from his rugby club Old Colfeians.
Head of Aquatics, Sarah Manzi, said: “We are so proud of our pupils for their achievement. It was particularly touching that so many of Harry’s friends joined in to pay their own tribute to their friend, whether or not they are keen swimmers, and we are delighted that we met the target. They have raised such an impressive amount for Folly Wildlife Rescue, a charity which represents Harry’s kindness and generosity so well.”
Folly Wildlife Rescue Trust is a charity dedicated to the rescue and rehabilitation of injured, orphaned and distressed wild animals and birds. Over £6,000 has been raised so far through the swim, and the charity will be ringfencing all swim team donations for a special project honouring Harry. Further donations can be made on the JustGiving website: Victoria Seymour-Greene is fundraising for Folly Wildlife Rescue (justgiving.com) (please add ‘swim team’ to your message).
