Three charities benefit from the Castle Swim

The August swim saw some 600 islanders donating a minimum of £5 in aid of Guernsey Samaritans, Guernsey Alzheimer’s Association and the Guernsey Bereavement Service to partake in the challenge.

‘As an established local club we like to support local charities and have done ever since the first Castle Swim,’ said Guernsey Swimming Club fundraising coordinator Kevin Penney.

‘I think it was really nice because usually we only have two charities, but because of these hard times we chose three.’

He said different charities were chosen every year and club members met with Castle Swim sponsor BWCI to suggest charities they had in mind.

‘We kept it in a club and family atmosphere,’ he said.

A variety of people raised funds at the swim.

‘Lots of people started sea swimming from lockdown and we still get people doing it for the first time, which is a great challenge,’ Mr Penney said.

‘The public came out in full force so we could raise a substantial amount.’

Sarah Willis from Guernsey Samaritans said it was great that so many people swam.

‘We are really grateful for the donation and it was wonderful to be offered to be a beneficiary of the Castle Swim,’ she said.

The funds will go towards ongoing renovations, following the development of the charity’s operating centre earlier this year.

‘This will go towards a nice, relaxing, clean environment for people to come and talk to us face-to-face.’

Guernsey Alzheimer’s Association manager Julie Thompson said its share would likely go towards the charity’s sitting service or golf sessions for people with dementia.

‘It will be a fantastic help,’ she said.

‘It’s been a hard couple of years for charities so to have that amount will definitely help us for the rest of this year and into next year.’

Supportive training is being looked at by the Guernsey Bereavement Service.

‘We were delighted to have been selected and even more delighted with the generous donation received,’ said Karen Jagger from the service.

‘The GBS is totally reliant on donations like this to ensure we can continue to serve our community.’

BWCI sponsored the Castle Swim for the first time and has confirmed it will also be sponsoring the event next year.