Weston Big Swim raises £2,470 for town's RNLI

HARDY swimmers who braved the open seas of Weston-super-Mare have raised more than £2,400 for the town's RNLI. The swimmers took to the waters on August 12 to swim two and a half miles from Brean Down to Anchor Head. The charity stunt raised £2,471 in sponsorship which was presented to the RNLI at a special presentation at The Cove restaurant. Among the swimmers who presented the cheque was Mark White, who came second in the event. On the morning of presentation Mark, an ex RAF and now a BA Pilot, was in Athens. He had to fly his aircraft back to Gatwick, race home to Buckinghamshire and then get to Weston. One of the Big Swim organisers, Katherine Maleham said: 'The Big Swim was on a beautiful end of summer day where everybody got across from Brean Down to Anchor Head. "This is a wonderful personal achievement for all who complete it." The RNLI Lifeboat operations manager, Pete Holder said, "The Big Swim has become a valued event each year. "We are a volunteer service completely dependent on donations and legacies to continue our work. This money will help in our rigorous training of the volunteers who man our lifeboats."