Cosford Dolphins Swim

Cosford Dolphins children’s swimming club based at the Defence College of Aeronautical Engineering (DCAE) in Cosford swam a ‘Herculean’ – the equivalent of 14,170 lengths of the Cosford Swimming Pool in 24 hours over the weekend of 24th & 25th March 2007.

The club has nominated CLIC Sargent as its official charity for 2007 and has raised more than £5000 over the past 5 years for different charities. The club is hoping to smash all previous targets, raising lots of money for CLIC Sargent.

The club’s event kicked their fundraising off to a great start – an non-stop 24 hour Swim-a-thon, which was started by Group Captain Gary Fletcher and within an hour, five senior club swimmers had notched up 8 miles between them. These trail blazers then handed the baton over to 84 children who swam in relay for the next 4 hours quickly taking the total up to 75 miles. The remaining 19 hours saw members of staff, parents and invited guests swim in relay right through the night. Taking into account the change to British Summer Time the Club Chairman, Flight Sergeant Gareth Bufton, finished the event on Sunday morning bringing the total to a phenomenal 264.2 miles.

As a group event, the children, aged five to 15, swam various distances from 400 metres with a staggering 11.03 miles being completed by senior club swimmer, Stuart Williams. After regaining his breath, Gareth Bufton said: “it has been the hardest event I have completed and if I ever suggest a similar venture, lock me in a cupboard and throw away the key. I am immensely proud of all the children, staff, parents and invited guests who have supported the event.”