More than 80 swimmers braved the chilly River Wye to take part in an annual fundraising event organised by Monmouth School Sports Club.
The fourth Great Wye Swim on Sunday, May 21, raised £1,370 to be split between Mesothelioma UK and St David’s Hospice Care.
Participants had the choice between swimming the 2km route, with 500m upstream and 1.5k downstream, or 1km downstream.
Ian MacDonald, who manages the sports club, said: “It was the biggest turn out in the history of the event, the weather was kind and the river was in great condition for the swim.
“The atmosphere on the day was superb with a good crowd watching and everyone contributed very generously to the two charities this year.”
The Great Wye Swim was the brainchild of Teresa Tranter, admin officer at MSSC.
Ian added: “Through Teresa’s determination, energy and enthusiasm it has become a great fixture in Monmouth’s events calendar. This was also the first year Teresa has been able to enter.
“The entire team at MSSC gets involved in the organisation and many volunteer on the day.
“We are always keen to get involved in the local community and do something worthwhile for great causes.”
Times across all categories were excellent this year.
Michael Lewis won the 2km male wetsuit group with an amazing time of 17 minutes and 45 seconds, and Kara Williams won the women’s equivalent category with a time of 20 minutes and 34 seconds.
“It was great to have representatives from both charities to start the events, award the prizes and inform everyone about the work the charities carry out,” Ian continued.
“Thank you to all the participants and the staff at MSSC for making the event such a success.
“And a very special thanks goes to the Forest of Dean Scout Group which assists us every year by manning the safety boats and canoes to keep all the swimmers safe while in the river. We couldn’t hold the event without them and it will be a great pleasure to have them as our nominated charity for next year’s event.
“The feedback from the event has been overwhelmingly positive and we hope to see everyone back here next year.”
