The Million Baht Swim (Give the Gift of Education)

In January 2024,  Grant ‘Axe’ Rawlinson will get in the water and swim around Phuket. It's an estimated 130km to swim around Phuket and the goal is to keep swimming until we raise over $1M baht for the Good Shepherd School Phuket Town. He is supported by a great team of people as follows:-

Michelle Kang - Project Manager

Sukhjit 'Suj' Kang - The 'Fixer' and Safety Support Kayaker

Luke Richmond - Safety Support Kayaker and Nutrition Manager

Steve Johnson - Shore Support Manager

Baffelly Woo - Good Shepherd School Liaison

Andrea Edwards - Communications Manager

Heidi Oxley Whitnell - Education Outreach Manager

Jason Whitnell - Emergency Response and Safety Manager / Boat Skipper

Verner Sederholm - Social Media Manager

Kolin Friske - Photographer

Stephanie Ong Rawlinson - Logistics Manager

Rachel Rawlinson - Project Assistant

Kate Rawlinson - Project Assistant

Since 2013, the Good Shepherd Phuket Town School has been a beacon of hope for a growing number of students, providing access to quality education. In 2023 they have a record enrolment of 400 students but not enough classrooms to accommodate everyone. Our exisiting classrooms are already overcrowded, hot, and lacking sufficient oxygen, the building is in urgent need of renovations to ensure a safe and conducive learning environment for our students. By extending our existing classrooms, we can accommodate a growing number of students and create this conducive learning environment.

1.245 million THB will fund this project which is forecasted to take 3 months to complete and provide ample space for children to learn, collaborate, and excel. Your support will invest in the future of these vulnerable children and will enable us to create an environment where they can learn, grow, and realize their potential. Together, we can build a brighter future, one brick at a time.

https://goodshepherdphukettown.com/

Dear supporters of The Million Baht Swim, we're elated to share the news of the successful completion of The Million Baht Swim, which raised an incredible total of 1.18 million baht! On 11 January 2024, Axe made history by becoming the first person to swim around Phuket without aids for propulsion. It's been an incredible journey, and on the final day the whole project team, Sister Lakana and GSPT staff, supporters and sponsors all came together at the SALA Resort for a fantastic finish. Thank you so much to everyone who has generously donated thus far, including our awesome sponsors who played such a crucial role in this endeavor. Your support is deeply appreciated and will be used for the construction of much-needed classrooms at the Good Shepherd School. You may read on the school construction update in their newsletter. 

https://mailchi.mp/f737f653217d/good-shepherd-phuket-town-newsletter-10686781?e=368b2f0bcb

This campaign will be closed but if you wish to continue to support the Good Shepherd Phuket Town School, you may visit their website to donate. 

https://goodshepherdphukettown.com/donate

The Million Baht Swim is Done!!!

Catch the highlights of Day 15, the final day, as Axe became the first person to ever swim around Phuket without swimming aids for propulsion. It's been an incredible journey, culminating in a fantastic finish with the whole team who've been instrumental from day one.

The work with the Good Shepherd School continues, and if you've enjoyed following this adventure, please consider making a donation. We will keep this campaign page open for people to make donations. Thanks again to all who had generously donated. It's very much appreciated. 

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/jgNAC7zZRimekQEp/?mibextid=WaXdOe

So far, Grant and crew has amazingly well. Grant has managed to battle strong currents and swim a staggering distance of 94km and still has another 28km to go. Keep on following our posts and track Axe’s progress as he nears the end of The Million Baht Swim. Whilst the finish date is aiming towards the afternoon of Jan 11th the tides, currents and heat mean that it could easily be a day either side - unpredictability just adds to the challenge!

Message from Grant and the crew!!

“Today on 9th January, we hope to rest during the heat of the day from about 8am - 2pm on Laem Sai pier. On the end of the pier is a nice shelter and some benches to rest on. Anyone who would like to come down and visit the team and say hi we would love to see them come down and meet the team and have a chat”So, if you have a little spare time and would like to hear how the swim is going or just give a bit of morale support, please do pop over and say hi. 

On 28th December at around 0530am, Axe will push off from the Sala Hotel at Mai Khao beach and start the first of thousands of strokes in his attempt to swim around the entire island of Phuket. For those of you who have recently followed this journey, Axe is certainly no stranger to long human powered journeys but he is not a strong swimmer, so this journey is a very humbling challenge where he is attempting something that is far outside his comfort zone. 

We really want to express our heartfelt gratitude to those who had donated to this good cause and supported Axe on his journey. You can watch Axe's journey in real-time! https://share.garmin.com/Axe