Open water swimming challenge to return to support hospital
An open water swimming fundraiser is returning to support a county hospital.
The League of Friends to The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital (RJAH) are encouraging members of the local community to take the plunge and sign up for the Mere Mile.
The hospital friends and their event partners Swimifinity have confirmed the event is returning for the fourth consecutive year on Sunday, August 27, at the Mere in Ellesmere.
This year’s Mere Mile, which is sponsored by Shropshire Pools and Spas, follows on from three successful years, which collectively raised more than £30,000 for the benefit of patients and staff at RJAH.
In previous years a team of volunteers have dedicated their time to help with the running of the event – members of Borderlands and Ellesmere Rotary Clubs, safety boat crews, kayakers and stand-up paddle boarders who took to the water to ensure the swimmers are kept safe throughout.
Participants can choose between two distances – one mile or 2.5 miles.
Entry numbers for each category are limited, with space for 200 swimmers to undertake the mile swim and 150 for the 2.5 miles.
Each participant will receive an event swim hat, goodie bag and finishers memento.
Victoria Sugden, Charity Director for the Friends, said: “We have so enjoyed this event over the last few of years, bringing the community together for an outdoor event has had such a positive effect on us all whilst fundraising for our much-loved local hospital.
“With the Shropshire Triathlon taking place in Ellesmere the following week, this is the perfect challenge to take on in preparation! Whatever your reason for signing up, we look forward to welcoming everyone to a successful swim again this year.
“Huge thanks to our partners Swimfinity and our sponsors Shropshire Pools and Spas who have helped us build such a wonderful event – please do get your entries in soon.”
James Bainbridge of Swimfinity said: “We’re extremely excited to help deliver the Mere Mile for a 4th year. Open water swimming & dipping continues to grow in popularity, so the event is a great excuse for people to get stuck in and enjoy the outdoors.
“The low entry costs make the Mere Mile accessible to all and knowing that the money raised supports an incredible local charity is a real motivator. We’re really proud to partner once again with the Friends to raise valuable and much needed funds to support their critical work.”
This year the event organisers are offering those who sign up between April and May a discounted early bird price.
To register to become a swimmer and secure the early bird price people can visit the dedicated event page by May 31 at https://friendsrjah.enthuse.com/cf/mere-mile.
People interested providing volunteer support can contact the team directly by e-mailing rjah.communityfundraising@nhs.net, or calling 01691 404401.
