To mark the milestone event for Swimathon and the fact that we are celebrating our 25th year in partnership with Wealden District Council, our Chief Executive Officer, Ivan Horsfall Turner and other colleagues including some who have been with the organisation for its entire 25-year history, joined Olympic gold medallist and Swimathon President Duncan Goodhew MBE at the leisure centre, highlighting the importance of community participation and fundraising through swimming.
Taking place from 20–22 March, Swimathon, the world’s largest fundraising swim celebrating its 40th anniversary, will be held across more than 40 Freedom Leisure swimming pools across England and Wales, encouraging swimmers of all ages and abilities to take on a challenge in support of Cancer Research UK, Marie Curie and the Swimathon Foundation.
Since its launch in 1986, more than 750,000 swimmers have taken part across the UK, raising over £55 million for charitable causes.
We’re proud to support Swimathon once again and to launch this year’s event at Crowborough Leisure Centre alongside Duncan Goodhew. Swimming is one of the most accessible forms of exercise and Swimathon is a fantastic opportunity for people of all abilities to challenge themselves, support important charities and enjoy the benefits of being active in the water.
Ivan Horsfall Turner
Swimathon offers a range of distances to suit all abilities, from 500m individual swims through to the Triple 5K endurance challenge. Teams of two to five swimmers can also take part in 1.5k, 2.5k or 5k relay challenges.
For 40 years, Swimathon has brought people together through a shared love of swimming while raising extraordinary sums for charity. It’s wonderful to see communities like those supported by Freedom Leisure getting behind the event and inspiring the next generation of swimmers to take part.
Duncan Goodhew MBE, Olympic Swimmer
Freedom Leisure operates more than 70 swimming pools across England and Wales, helping communities stay active in the water and enjoying the health and wellbeing benefits of swimming. Each week, they also support over 70,000 participants through their award-winning learn-to-swim programme, reflecting their strong commitment to teaching this essential life skill nationwide.