Children across the nation donned their pyjamas and took the plunge recently, swapping their usual swimwear for cosy pyjamas as part of Puddle Ducks’ charity PJ (Pyjama) Week – an initiative that blends fun with vital water safety education.

The week encourages little swimmers to take to the pool fully clothed, helping them understand how it feels to be in water wearing everyday clothing – an important life skill should they ever accidentally fall into water. The initiative highlights the importance of water confidence and survival techniques from a young age.

It is often the favourite lesson for many of the swim franchises little swimmers, and many teachers, with the fun exercises helping children to remember key skills for staying safe in the water.

Jo Stone, CEO and Co-Founder of Puddle Ducks commented: “Our Pyjama Weeks across the UK help children to experience how it feels to be submerged in water fully clothed, and what actions they would take to reach safety. It’s also a great opportunity for our franchise offices to come together and get involved in a network wide campaign”.

Whilst some of the network chose to support charities close to their hearts or local to them, the majority of the network once again supported Children’s Hospital Pyjamas. The UK based charity collects donations of brand-new pyjamas, from the public, which are then donated to Hospitals, Hospices, School Hospital Teams and Women’s refuges up and down the country. These are then given to poorly or less fortunate children who are inpatients.

This year the swim school collected just over 1200 pairs of pyjamas and raised just over £17,000, thanks to the fundraising efforts of the network and their customers.

A spokesperson from Children’s Hospital Pyjamas commented: “We are sincerely grateful to the Puddle Ducks franchises across the UK for their wonderful support during their ‘charity pyjama week’, through both monetary donations and the collection of pyjamas. This has enabled us to add new establishments to deliver to this year. Their kindness and commitment have helped us reach even more children, allowing us to share the gift of pyjamas, spreading love, comfort and dignity to those who need it most.”