Four local swimmers proved their fitness by swimming the English Channel this July in a relay format raising money for Porthcawl RNLI and Porthcawl NCI. The team are known as Porthcawl Polar Bears and regularly train in the open water at Porthcawl

The four are, Sian Jakeman, Peter Foster, Rosalind Edmonds and Tom Chapman, they completed the legendary swim on 12 July this year in 13 hours 22 minutes and were escorted and supported by pilot boat Sea Leopard.

Prior to the swim they decided to raise money for Porthcawl Lifeboat and Porthcawl’s National Coastwatch Institution. To date the fund raising has totalled over £1250 to each charity. Their fund raising page is still open at https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/Porthcawl-Polar-Bears

Some members of Porthcawl lifeboats fundraising team and members of the NCI unit met outside the lifeboat station to thank the Porthcawl Polar Bears for their donation. David Shillaw, Chairman of Fundraising at Porthcawl RNLI Lifeboat said, ‘It is an incredible achievement and we congratulate and thank each swimmer for considering our charity particularly during a time when our donations are down’.

Photographs of their swim can be seen by going to the link below –https://www.channelswimmingassociation.com/swim/5154/porthcawl-polar-bears