Wigan charity hopes its £20k appeal will make a splash to prevent children drowning

A charity set up in memory of a tragic toddler has launched a £20,000 fund-raising campaign in a bid to save the lives of more children.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

Loui Aspinall, from Hindley Green, was just two when he drowned while on holiday in Tunisia in 2013.

His mother Emma Aspinall set up DoIt4Loui in his memory to teach infant swim survival lessons and prevent more tragedies.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

But lessons had to be put on hold when the coronavirus pandemic broke out and have only resumed this week.

Loui's parents Gavin and Emma Aspinall with his grandparents Anne and Tim Aspinall, next to a photograph of LouiLoui's parents Gavin and Emma Aspinall with his grandparents Anne and Tim Aspinall, next to a photograph of Loui
Loui's parents Gavin and Emma Aspinall with his grandparents Anne and Tim Aspinall, next to a photograph of Loui

Tim Aspinall, Loui’s grandfather, said: “We have made lots of progress since starting in 2017 and this is a kick in the teeth really. We are at the stage where we really need to try to get going. The kids have had four or five months where they have not been in the water so they are losing their skills and need to get it back again.”

As well as helping youngsters get back in the water, the charity hopes to recover from the financial impact of this enforced closure, as well as build on the work it does.

It has teamed up with Sport England to launch a crowdfunding appeal in a bid to boost its coffers and expand its services.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

If DoIt4Loui can raise £10,000, Sport England has pledged to donate the same amount.

Some of the money will be used to provide Float To Live courses for youngsters, to prevent them drowning if they are in water.

Tim said: “That money will make a big difference. The thing that’s different about these lessons is it’s one-to-one teaching, it’s not group teaching, so it’s very expensive. What that could mean is it precludes children from families who haven’t got the resources to do that. This is where DoIt4Loui comes in - we get subsidies to these families. It will be spent on getting more subsidies to families and the increased costs due to Covid.”

New guidelines imposed due to the pandemic mean the charity can only run at about 50 per cent capacity at the moment and it is hoped another instructor can be employed to run more lessons.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Sport England will only provide its donation if DoIt4Loui reaches its £10,000 target, so donors are being offered rewards as an incentive to dig deep.

These include free milk delivery for a week for people who give £3, a blow dry and hair mask for donations over £15 and a four-week infant swim survival course for people who give more than £100.

Donations can be made at www.crowdfunder.co.uk/doit4loui---prevention-of-child-drowning

Related topics: