Dominic McBrien finishes the race while carrying some extra weight on his head
AROUND 80 swimmers braved the cold waters of Lough Erne for the Castle Island charity swim on Sunday of last week.
The well-attended charity event raised money for the RNLI (Royal National Lifeboat Institute) and organising committee member Joe Kelly, hopes it will become a permanent fixture in the calendar.
“It was very well-attended, it is the second year of it and there was a real positive vibe. Everyone now is really excited about this and we hope it will become a permanent fixture that can grow each year.”
The 750m route went around Castle Island and both the Erne Paddlers and the RNLI provided safety coverage on the day.
Joe estimates at this early stage the swim has raised in excess of £2000.
“We’re very happy with that, we had similar number last year, but sometimes the second year it can difficult to recreate the hype.”
He added: “It was a great day and great fun with face painting, a barbecue, bouncy castles, Mr Whippy and the duck race. It was a fantastic day all round.”
The organisers would like to thank all those who worked on the event, the sponsors, all the statutory bodies and all the brave swimmers who were involved. They added a particular thanks to the Erne Paddlers and RNLI who provided safety cover on the day.