Ten-year-old Archie Bunker, from Bude, first got in a swimming pool at the age of three months, could swim widths from the age of four and was awarded his first national lifesaving medal at the age of eight.
Now, after coming third in the National Nipper Surf Life Saving Championships in Weymouth this summer and moving into competitive swimming with Bude Sharks, Archie has already qualified for the 2026 Cornwall County Swimming Championships and is looking forward to a busy competing year ahead.
“Archie trains two nights a week with Bude Sharks, one evening a week with the Bude Surf Life Saving Club, spends most Saturday mornings in the Splash pool at Bude Leisure Centre, and does occasional park runs with his mum,” said proud dad Dean Bunker.
“Sleep is very important for Archie to function, so we adjust the routine according to how he is feeling and regularly reinforce the message that winning isn’t everything. He genuinely loves his swimming though and always wants to be on the podium.”
Archie is one of Cornwall’s GLL Sport Foundation (GSF) athletes and benefits from free access to GLL swimming pools locally and nationwide.
“Having GSF sponsorship makes a big difference financially as the costs of club membership and training quickly mount up,” said Dean. “It gives us peace of mind to know we can take Archie to the leisure centre pool whenever we want to and that we can also access physio, mental health and sports science support – something that is likely to become more important in the future.
“We’re very grateful for what GLL is doing for Archie through GSF and will definitely be applying for a 2026 award.”
Operating under the Better brand, GLL is the no-for-profit social enterprise that runs nine leisure centres in Cornwall on behalf of the council.
144 Cornwall-based athletes received GSF support worth £92,150 in 2025. 72% of them get no other central funding, more than half are under the age of 21, 27% are under 16 and 8% of them live with disabilities.
Applications for 2026 GSF awards open on 20 December. For more information, visit https://www.gllsportfoundation.org/
