Team Domenica swimmers raise thousands of pounds for people with learning disabilities

50 participants gathered at the Sea Lanes on Saturday 21 September to challenge themselves and fundraise for Team Domenica – a local charity supporting people with learning disabilities into paid and meaningful employment. As Brighton and Hove’s only inclusive swim challenge, Great Lengths encouraged everybody to get involved - from dipping a toe, to swimming 5k!

Amongst the participants was Florence Garrett, the former women’s captain for Down Syndrome Swimming Great Britain and a candidate at Team Domenica. Florence swam at Great Lengths with her mum, Veronique, for the second year in a row. She smashed her target by swimming over 500 metres further than she planned. She said: “It felt great to do Great Lengths again, it was a lot of fun. I’m so happy, I swam so much further than expected! I want to motivate other people to get in the water too.”

Joining Florence was Sam, a young man who – with the help of Team Domenica – recently gained employment at Brighton i360. He said: “Team Domenica is very nice and very friendly. I love having a job, it’s really cool.”

Great Lengths also saw teams of families and friends take the plunge. Of particular note were Edge Tea & Coffee who swam in honour of their colleague Michael, a Team Domenica graduate who sadly passed away earlier this year. Michael’s talent and kindness will be missed by everyone who knew him. (You can support his colleagues’ fundraiser by clicking here, or follow this link to learn more about his story).

Putting the fun in fundraising

Team Domenica host Great Lengths to raise awareness, funds and support for their vital work. This year, swimmers went the difference come rain or shine. They dove in, challenged themselves and celebrated their achievements in style. Greg van Heeswijk, the Director of Fundraising and Communications at Team Domenica, said:

“Team Domenica had another fantastic year at Great Lengths 2024 with 50 participants raising funds to support our work.

The atmosphere was amazing and it was wonderful seeing so many people complete their personal challenges – all with the same aim of supporting young people with learning disabilities to develop the skills, confidence and independence they need to thrive inside and outside of the workplace.”

Team Domenica are creating futures for people with learning disabilities, and events like Great Lengths allow them to continue growing and doing their work. Find out more at teamdomenica.com.