Woking Swimathon is an annual event organised by Woking Rotary Club which this year takes place at the Pool in the Park in Woking Park on October 13.

The money raised goes to three local charities, which usually include Woking & Sam Beare Hospice. Last year the money was divided equally between the hospice, Woking Street Angels and Woking Lighthouse. It is now in its 16th year and in that period it has raised more than £220,000, all of which went to local charities.

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

Any confident swimmer who is at least eight years old can take part, so that teams representing many local schools -pupils, staff and parents - take part, plus teams from charities, companies and other local organisations. All team members who swim will be awarded a commemorative medal.

Organising an event such as this takes significant resources. Woking Rotary Club 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 is the main sponsor of the Swimathon and is meeting a substantial share of these costs. But this still leaves a large sum to find, and the organisers would very much welcome other sponsorship for the event, either corporate or individual.

All entry and sponsorship enquiries should be made by calling Terry Smith on 01483 762832 or emailing [email protected]

For more information visit the website www.wokingrotary.co.uk