RESIDENTS made a huge splash for University Hospital, Lewisham during a 24-hour swimathon in aid of the Lewi Appeal. Forest Hill Pools raised £4,200 to buy a life-saving defibrillator for the hospital after the sponsored marathon swim.
Deputy Mayor councillor Solomon Brown opened the proceedings and the first wave of the 80 swimmers hit the water on the stroke of 9am last Saturday. The last lot crawled out of the pool at 9am on the following Sunday morning.
Organiser Bob Aldir said: "It was brilliant, people were turning up all through the night, in the early hours, and in the morning. We turned it into a carnival atmosphere with balloons and decorations and all the lifeguards put in voluntary time-one lad was here for the full 24 hours," he added.
The event was sponsored by Lewisham Council's DIRECTeam and fast food chain McDonald's. Raffle prizes were donated by local shops including a huge hamper from Sainsbury's and raised an additional £170 for the fund.
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