A SWIM school has raised money for a charity that has supported one of the club's young members recover from a stroke.

Two-year-old James has been swimming with Puddle Ducks Dorset his entire life. The club, which is based at The Victorian Barn in Blandford, provides swimming classes for children from birth to ten years old.

However, when James, from Swanage, was just a few days old, he suffered a stroke.

Despite this sudden shock, doctors advised that James should keep swimming with Puddle Ducks to stimulate his development and he has done just that.

Now, the children at Puddle Ducks have helped to raise money for The Rainbow Centre, a charity based in Fareham, Hampshire that supports children like James who have been affected by neurological conditions. The centre uses specialist techniques to change peoples’ lives by giving them greater independence.

Puddle Ducks hosts an annual charity 'PJ Week' every year, where children and their parents wear pyjamas instead of swimming costumes to raise money for charity.

The club also hosted a raffle which had some incredible prizes from local businesses.

Anna Valentine, head of teaching at Puddle Ducks Dorset and James’ teacher, said: “James is such a lovely happy little boy. James swam with us before he had received the diagnosis of a stroke, and he carried on coming to our swimming lessons to support his development.

“His mum, Sophia has told me all about the incredible work The Rainbow Centre have done for them, so I thought it was a great opportunity to nominate them as our local charity sponsor for this year. I look forward to seeing him in the future, and watching his love for the water grow.”

Jane Bozic, owner of Puddle Ducks Dorset, said: “Our charity PJ Week is much loved by both teachers and children alike - they are a huge amount of fun. It also provides our swimmers with the opportunity to see how it would feel to be in the water fully clothed should they ever fall into water accidentally, so they understand that they can still swim and turn to safety.”