Sisters raise £1,000 with virtual Channel swim
Sisters Beth and Sophie Williams have raised more than £1,000 for the RNLI by completing the equivalent of an English Channel swim in their back garden.
Each swam a distance of 17 kilometres tethered to the side of a three-metre pool in the garden of their Bruton, Somerset, home.
And their three-day marathon will result in a huge donation for Beth’s favourite good cause – Minehead’s RNLI lifeboat station.
Ten-year old Beth – a lifeboat ‘fanatic’ according to her family – has previously raised £500 for the station through a sponsored swim and an RNLI event she organised at Bruton Primary School.
But she was joined by her 13-year old sister for her latest effort, with their parents Dave and Sarah monitoring their progress – calculated on the number of front crawl arm pulls.
Sarah said both girls had been keen to support the RNLI’s Mayday fundraising appeal but realised coronavirus movement restrictions would limit what they were able to do.
“This was their answer,” she said. “And we are both incredibly proud of them.”
Minehead RNLI chairman Bryan Stoner said the girls had completed a terrific challenge.
“Beth has become one of the station’s regular fund-raisers and we’re delighted she was able to persuade Sophie to join her for this event,” he said.
“With so many fundraising events cancelled or postponed this year every penny is going to count – and raising £1,000 is a wonderful result for them to achieve.”
To support Beth and Sophie go to:
https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/David-Williams241
ends
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The RNLI charity saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 146,000 lives.
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