Swim-a-thon brings in much needed swim programme funding for CHB

Nifty Fifties, the winners of the Sprint (teams) Section: Most Funds Raised. Photo / Supplied

The seventh CHB Swim 4 Lives Swim-A-Thon was held on March 24 and although the number of swimmers was down a bit on other years they still managed to swim 442 lengths of Waipukurau’s 25m indoor pool for a combined distance of just over 11km, raising $4500 to help support the CHB Swim-4-Lives programme.

The committee thanks all the participants and sponsors for their contribution and support of the event especially after such trying times following Cyclone Gabrielle.

To this end, the committee will donate $1000 of money raised from the Swim-a-thon to the CHB Mayoral Relief Flood Response Fund which is helping to support those affected by the cyclone.

The Waipuk Girls - winners of the Sprint (teams) Section: Most Lengths Swum. Photo / Supplied

The goal of the CHB Swim 4 Lives group is to continue to provide deep water safety and 10 swimming lessons for all CHB’s primary school-aged children. The programme is mainly centred around the Centralines Sports Complex in Waipukurau but also incorporates the Memorial Pool in Waipawa and some schools’ pools.

The cost to cover the instructors and the buses to transport the children into the Centralines Pool is around $80,000, partly funded by grants of $15,000 from Tē Manawa Active Aotearoa – through Sport HB; $15,000 from Centralines and $41,845 from Eastern and Central Community Trust.

Results:

Paddle Section: Most Funds raised - Clover Fogarty, Most lengths Swum – Grayson Brown (new event record)

Swim Section: Most Funds Raised – Alex Walker, Most Lengths Swum – Sophie Barnes

Sprint (teams) Section: Most Funds Raised – Nifty Fifties, Most Lengths Swum – Waipuk Girls

Spot prize of a $150 photography shoot donated by Lionel Benjamin: Blanche Paewai-Ashcroft.