Former Olympic Gold medallist Duncan Goodhew, MBE, was in Crowborough to launch the fundraising swimathon event.
The guest of Freedom Leisure, Mr Goodhew, who won gold at the Moscow Olympics in 1980, was at Goldsmith’s Leisure Centre to launch the centre’s participation in this year’s fundraising event which took place 20-22 March.
Freedom Leisure’s CEO, Ivan Horsfall Turner, said: “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.”
He added that as Freedom Leisure celebrated its 25th year in partnership with Wealden District Council, Crowborough was the ideal location to mark this milestone and Swimathon’s 40th anniversary.
Since the first event in 1986, the Swimathon Foundation said it had grown into the world’s largest annual pool-based fundraising event, having seen more than 750,000 people take part and over £55m raised for charities. Swimmers can choose the length they swim, from 500m all the way up to a triple 5km swim.
Duncan Goodhew said he was delighted to be in Crowborough to launch the event. He said: “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.”