PARTICIPANTS of the Durham Swimathon have presented cheques worth £8,338 to good causes.

They met with representatives of the Rotary Club of Durham and Durham Mayor Councillor John Lethbridge, at Durham Town Hall, to hand over the money raised.

The annual charity Swimathon Appeal, which takes place each year at Freeman’s Quay Leisure Centre in Durham, is organised each November by The Rotary Club of Durham Charity Fund and The Mayor of Durham’s Charity – which this year is the Royal British Legion.

In 2018, 34 teams took part in the event, made up of 11 separate organisations. They included Durham Action on Single Housing (Dash), St Leonard’s School, Durham, Framwellgate School, Durham, Downs Syndrome North East, The Cheesy Waffles Project, The Rotary Club of Durham, The Inner Wheel Club of Durham, Elvet Scouts, Elvet Methodist Church and other private groups.

The event is organised entirely by volunteers, and over the past 11 years, the Swimathon has raised over £85,000 for many local causes. All money that each team raised during the Swimathon is split equally between the Mayor of Durham’s Charity Appeal (which this year is The Royal British Legion) and the teams’ own chosen charities.

Rotary club president Tony said: “Congratulations to all involved in the 11th annual Durham City Swimathon event. We are thrilled to have raised such a huge sum for North-East charities, which all play an extremely important role in our local communities. We are delighted the event has become a such a permanent part of the city calendar and look forward very much to the 12th annual Swimathon in November 2019.”