The Isle of Wight’s Boxing Day Swims are always great fundraisers for local charities and this year was no exception.
Ventnor’s Boxing Day swim saw over £2,300 raised for local cancer charity, PATCH, with at least £1,700 of that coming from bucket donations on the day.
Turn out was brilliant and everything ran smoothly
Maria Sexton who took on the organisation of the swim told OnTheWight,
“The turn out was brilliant and everything ran smoothly. We still have some more to collect from other venues in town, so the total may go up and we’ve had donations from as far as Australia and even Ventnor, New Jersey in the USA.
“Well done to PATCH for their dedication over the years (read here) to keep this going for so long. So glad we could this year and take the load off a little for them.”
Maria went on to say,
“Brian and Issac Roberts did a great job cleaning the beach, opening the toilets and doing teas and coffees in the lifeguard hut and there were also some lovely helpers collecting on the day, including children.”
Thanks to rescue teams
Maria added,
“Our deepest thanks to the Ventnor Coastguard team and the Sandown and Shanklin Inshore Lifeboat, we really appreciate them coming out for us!
“Thanks also to each and everyone of the swimmers and specators who came down and supported the event, as well as local businesses for collecting.
“Phil Tredwell from The Mill Bay helped put this all together and stored donations ready for us to count on Wednesday with Hugo and Angela Kullander. Support has been brilliant, just glad we could all help and keep it for PATCH who are wonderful.”
Gurnard Dip for Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust
Ashton Howard, on behalf of the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust said,
“We’re thrilled to have raised over £2,000, there was a lovely atmosphere on the day with hundreds of people coming along to support the brave bathers. We would like to thank everyone for their generosity.
“The money raised will help empower and support young people in recovery from cancer through the incredible power of sailing.”
Image: Ventnor photo © Lesley Brown
Image: Gurnard Photos © Albatross and Mariner
