Angelfish is simply a group of people committed to bringing the benefits of swimming to some of the poorest regions of the world. We believe that swimming is not just something to be done by rich people on beach holidays or by fitness junkies: it is important for physical health (all exercise is supported) and wellbeing, as well as providing an essential life skill. Many people choose to go swimming in the sea or dive off a boat; however, there are many unluckier children who may fall in by accident and never resurface. We want to prevent this.

Not everybody who is part of Angelfish can swim like a fish. We look less like gliding dolphins than wallowing hippos. The idea is not to create world class athletes, but to provide a fun and inclusive environment where everybody can enjoy the freedom and support of swimming.

You can see how the Angelfish Logo was created by clicking on the logo itself:.

where did Angelfish come from?

Angelfish was spawned out of a trip across South East Asia in the Winter of 2006-07. As a swimming teacher, I am always keen to get in the water, and after a trip to a local orphanage in the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh, I somehow found myself funding and running a trip for 27 orphans to go to the seaside at Sihanoukville, four hours away.

Many children had never seen the sea before, but most were absolutely fearless. With the help of a fellow volunteer, we managed to get a few kids swimming using tractor tyres and some balls I'd picked up from the marke. After I said goodbye to some very tired but very happy kids that night, I thought why can't we do this more often?

So off I trotted with my partner around various NGOs and local schools to see if people were interested and whether the idea would be possible. The response was overwhelming. As a teacher of children with disabilities, it was natural that working with disabled children would take a special focus, considering the high number of amputees in Cambodia due to landmine explosions and the special help that water therapy can bring.

Now the feasibility study has shown that Angelfish is possible, our pilot project is ready to start teaching some fishes...

what does the future hold for this rare fish?

After the pilot project is completed in 2008, which we hope will be a roaring success, we want to run a swimming programme for deprived and disabled children in Cambodia for two to three weeks, twice a year. We would like swimming to be a regular part of children's education: something to look forward to, as any child would look forward to a sporting holiday or 'crash course'.

As Angelfish becomes more well known, we would like to train local people to become teachers, and to employ them to teach more children, from different locations across Cambodia. We realise the benefits of building local capacity to promote sustainability, and that there are many children in places other than the capital who may like to learn to swim. Swimming is fun and, you never know: it may just save a child's life one day.