'Swimarathon' to hit £40k target for sixth year

A swimming event is to hit its target of raising £40,000 for local causes for the sixth year in a row, the organiser says.

The "Rotary Swimarathon", hosted by Rotary Club of Grantham at Meres Leisure Centre, started on Friday and will finish on Sunday evening, with families, schools and businesses making up the 1,400 swimmers taking part.

It marks the 36th year that people have been making a splash for their community and further afield with the teams of six swimming in relays in 50-minute intervals.

Roger Graves, who has run the swimarathon for the past 25 years, said: "Someone said to me many moons ago, if you put an event on and raise £5,000 it's worth it, and I've never forgotten that."

Speaking to BBC Radio Lincolnshire on Friday, Graves said they had already raised £23,000 before the event had started and the total has since risen to £35,000.

Over the past five years, the Rotary Club has consistently collected in excess of £40,000, which Graves described as "incredible".

Earlier, he confirmed they would hit that target again this year.

Participants this year have included Belmont Primary School, Belvoir Group, South Kesteven District Council, Woodland Trust and dozens more.

In 2025, the donations were split into grants of between £150, which paid for a new tent for a Brownie group, and a £4,000 cheque for the air ambulance.

Rachel Login, who swam with a group representing HSBC bank in Grantham, said she had taken part for about 30 years.

She said: "It was amazing, it was wonderful. Roger and the Rotary friends work so hard on it all year round.

"It's a way of getting everyone together coming out of winter."

Graves said: "We've got some people here where the grandparent who did it 37 years ago and now they come along with their children and grandchildren and make it a family event.

"I love doing it, every member of the club has a favourite topic they organise or do and this is my baby."

Last year the club raised a total of £55,000 from the event.

"It literally, excuse the pun, blew us out of the water," Graves said.

The Rotary Club of Grantham was founded in 1931 to support both local and international causes, with the swimarathon being its biggest fundraising event since 1990.

Listen to highlights fromLincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch thelatest episode of Look Northor tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.

Download the BBC News app from the App Storefor iPhone and iPad orGoogle Play for Android devices