Swimathon celebrates 30th anniversary milestone
Melanie May | 10 January 2017 | News
Over 600 pools are taking part in this year’s 30th Swimathon, with participants raising funds for Marie Curie.
Swimathon will take place across the weekend of 7-9 April, with Marie Curie the official charity for the 2017 event. Participants can swim 5k, 2.5k or 1.5k as individual, or 5k or 1.5k in a team, and this year, the event is headed up by Olympic gold medalist Duncan Goodhew and the sporting soprano and official anthem singer for the England Rugby Team, Laura Wright (main image).
Swimathon began in 1986 as a pilot programme for swimmers in London only. Since the launch of the annual event in 1988, nearly 700,000 participants have taken part and raised £46 million, which has been distributed to 36 different charities.
Goodhew, who is also Swimathon president, said:
“For the last 29 years it has been a real joy to see Swimathon develop and mature into the event it is today. This year, Swimathon again provides a fantastic opportunity to bring together swimmers of all ages and abilities to raise vital funds for Marie Curie to continue their work caring for people living with any terminal illness, and their families.”
Other charities supported by Swimathon in the past include Comic Relief, Macmillan, NSPCC, The British Heart Foundation, and The Prince’s Trust.
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About Melanie May
Melanie May is a journalist and copywriter specialising in writing both for and about the charity and marketing services sectors since 2001. She can be reached via thepurplepim.com.