Skipton Swimarathon comes to an end, raising over £50,000

Some 2,500 people raised more than £50,000 by swimming a total distance of about 600km.

The main beneficiary from this year’s event, organised jointly by the Guernsey Round Table and the Lions Club of Guernsey, will be the Cardiac Action Support Group.

Businessman Rick Denton, who suffered a cardiac arrest at Les Cotils on 4 February, was invited to start yesterday’s session.

‘I collapsed while having coffee and a bacon sandwich and I was so lucky that two people who had just completed their CPR and Automated Electrical Defibrillator training were nearby and an AED was in the building,’ he said.

Mr Denton was resuscitated within three minutes but he said less than 10% of cardiac arrest victims survive, so the installation of AEDs in public areas and training people to use them was vital. He has been involved with the Cardiac Action Support Group since February and said the £25,000 it would get from the Skipton Swimarathon would fund its CPR and AED training programme until the end of 2020.

Skipton Swimarathon chairman Nick Guillemette was grateful to Skipton for sponsoring the event for the 10th year in a row. ‘Without them we wouldn’t be able to make the difference we do,’ he said.

The balance of the money raised, once costs have been met, will be split between the two organising clubs who will use it to support various other local charities. The total number of participants included 500 youngsters who swam in their school pools at St Sampson’s High, Le Murier, Les Beaucamps High and Elizabeth College.

A team from The Foresters Arms were one of those taking part yesterday. Landlady Karina Hawkins said they were taking part for the third year in a row. They had raised almost £400 in previous years and £250 had been pledged for 2019 to date.

‘We won the Firkin End Trophy for the past two years and we’re going to try and make it a hat-trick,’ she said.

‘The trophy fits nicely above the pub door and there’ll be an empty space there without it.’

Recruiting swimmers was not a problem, she said, and there were quite a few people at the pub who wanted to get involved.

A team from The Guernsey Financial Services Commission was also taking to the water.

‘It’s very enjoyable and it’s nice to raise money for different causes each year,’ said team captain Tracy Bideau.

The team consisted of about a dozen members and the GFSC had entered a team in the Skipton Swimarathon for at least the last 10 years.

‘Children joined the team the year they were raising money for the Saumarez Park Playground and it’s nice that they’ve stayed with us ever since,’ said Mrs Bideau.