The Skipton Swimarathon committee has revealed that more than £51,000 has been collected so far from the charity fundraising event held at the weekend.
More than 2,300 swimmers took part at Beau Sejour and in 25 metre school pools last week, swimming a total distance of 800+km, the equivalent of swimming from Guernsey to the coast of Spain.
The community event had a record turn out with a 10% increase in the number of teams signing up to take part.
Donations and sponsorship collection is continuing to roll in, with organisers hoping that the final figure will reach £55,000, to go toward local charities.
Nick Guillemette, Chairman of the Skipton Swimarathon Committee said: “We have been blown away by the continued enthusiasm of islanders towards this event. This year we not only had a record number of entrants, but experienced the highest number of students taking part through our ‘At Large’ schools event. There is no doubt that our main beneficiary, the Le Murier School Village Project, appealed to many of our supporters and we are hopeful that our contribution will allow them to complete the building of log cabins within the village.
“We would like to thank everyone who took part for their generosity and enthusiasm, which is an inspiration to us all involved in the organisation. We remain especially grateful to our sponsors, Skipton International, for their ongoing support over the years and for making the Skipton Swimarathon a highlight of Guernsey’s social calendar.”
The full results of the Skipton Swimarathon will be announced, along with the presentation of awards by the Bailiff, Sir Richard Collas, to all the winning teams at Beau Sejour on the evening of 17 October.
