
Going that extra mile: the Fire Brigade team which swam the furthest at this year’s Purley Swimathon
Purley Rotary Club are rightly congratulating themselves on breaking through the half-million pounds barrier in money raised in their annual Purley Swimathon after this year’s event.
With swim days staged on February 23 and March 2, the Purley Swimathon, in its 31st year, raised more than £20,000 for charities and good causes, bringing the overall total since the event was first staged in 1988 to £520,000.
More than 350 swimmers, aged from eight to 80, in 40 teams, took part this year, swimming a combined total of 4,374 lengths of the pool – about 68 miles, or the distance from Purley to Portsmouth.
A team calling themselves “Hot Stuff”, from the London Fire Brigade, made the Purley Pool water steam as they ploughed their way to 182 lengths.
Purley Rotary are already working on staging the 2020 Purley Swimathon, which will be on February 29 and March 7.
Enquiries for team entry for 2020 should be made to swimathon@purleyrotary.com.
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