At 6:45 am a great cheer went up as the last of the 1416 lengths of the Kingham Hill School Pool was swum. 
Pupils and staff swam throughout the night to complete the equivalent of a crossing of the English Channel to raise money for a clean water charity – Coppers to Water.
The challenge began at 9:00 pm with various pupils and staff taking turns to swim several lengths of the 25m pool. The effort continued for nine hours and 45 minutes, with those taking part moving between the Pool, a spread of food donated by the Headmaster and the temporary dormitory set up in the adjacent Dance & Drama Studio.
Much credit must go to senior pupils, Ge Mockford, Oskar Mahony and Nim Anderson, who put so much effort into the project.
As a result of his particular talent, the swim was streamed on-line, enabling parents from around the UK and as far afield as Germany, Dubai and the US to watch the action.
When all the promised donations are redeemed it is hoped that at least £1 per length will be realised – £1416. This money will be added to that raised by other activities during the past month that has seen the overall target of £3500 comfortably exceeded.
Coopers to Water raises funds for clean water projects in rural African communities. As its name suggests, those that donate have usually been challenged to open their purses or dig into their pockets and give away any coppers that they find.
To reward the tired but jubilant swimmers, two bleary-eyed teachers rose early to prepare a mountain of bacon baps. These disappeared rapidly!