Swimmers complete staggering 24-hour 64-mile Horsham fundraiser

The 24-hour swimathon was staged by Atlantis Swimming Club – one of the largest clubs in Sussex with more than 300 members – at Horsham Pavilions.

The swimathon, in which swimmers from Atlantis masters, national and seniors squads took part, was the final push in a bid to raise £8,000 this year for equipment and coaching.

The gruelling event saw swimmers swimming from midday on December 21 to midday on December 22 going as far as they could without stopping at the Pavilions.

Spokesperson Helen Goggin said: “It’s the finale to an outstanding year for this local club, finishing second overall in the National Arena Swimming League (South England) to be promoted into the Premier League for 2024; in October Atlantis SC topped the medal table at the Sussex County Championships 2023 and won the Sussex League 2023 earlier in the year.

“Aiming to raise £8,000 in 2023, our members have worked tirelessly completing fun-runs, making Easter hampers, racing virtual balloons around the world, selling reindeer hot chocolates at our Christmas gala, and much more. With this final 24hour swimathon effort we’ve achieved that ambitious fundraising goal.”

The club provides a vital resource for the local community, nurturing youngsters from the age of 7+ and training them to county, regional and national level.

The club was first launched in 1979 and is now one of Sussex's leading competitive swimming clubs, with members from across Horsham and West Sussex, from foundation to national level, masters and Flamingo Artistic Swimming.

The volunteer-run club helps children and adults to fulfil their potential and enjoy the many physical and mental benefits of being part of a positive and rewarding sports club, from confidence-building to fitness and friendship.

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Helen added: “We work hard across the year to raise funds to support the club but meeting rising costs is an increasing challenge. Any financial support from fundraising helps us meet pool hire costs for our squad training and enables us to invest in equipment and essential coaching for our team and helpers.”