People swam to raise money for charities at an annual fundraising event in Woking.

This year’s Woking Swimathon took place on Sunday, October 13 at the Pool in the Park in Woking Park. The Swimathon is an annual event organised by Rotary Club of Woking and is now in its 16th year.

In that period it has raised more than £220,000, all of which went to local charities. Last year, the money raised was divided equally between the Hospice, Woking Street Angels and Woking Lighthouse.

Up to 60 teams can compete with up to six members in a team and each one is allocated a lane. One team member swims at a time, which means that a team member can swim between 10 and 20 lengths in the 55 minutes allocated to them. Every team member invites sponsorship for their team.

Organising the event takes significant resources and Rotary Club of Woking always tries to keep the costs to a minimum. Volunteers do all the work but inevitably there are some expenses.

For the eighth successive year, Trident Honda was the main sponsor of the Swimathon and met a substantial share of the costs. Rotary Club of Woking is extremely grateful for their continued support. This year, 40 teams took part involving 220 entrants. The Club will have collected more than the £6,000 it did last year. 

Teams were made up of local schools -pupils, staff and parents and from charities, companies and other local organisations. All team members who swam were awarded a commemorative medal.

The proceeds after expenses but including Gift Aid will be donated to Woking & Sam Beare Hospice and at least two other local charities. Coming up next on the Club’s agenda is race night on October 25.

Donations post-event can still be made at: https://tinyurl.com/Woking-Rotary-Swimathon.