Rockinghorse Relay makes a splash at the first overnight swim in Brighton

The very first Rockinghorse Relay took place at Sea Lanes on Brighton seafront, with over 70 swimmers splashing through the night to raise money.

The Rockinghorse Relay saw swimmers take on a sponsored one-hour swim anytime during the 12-hour event, which started at 7pm and finished the following morning, at the stunning open air swimming centre on Madeira Drive.

It was a great opportunity for the participants to fundraise for the beloved local charity – and swim in the pool during the night when it’s normally closed to the public.

The event was kicked off by pupils from the nearby Roedean School’s swimming team taking to the water. The swimmers ranged from Year 7 to Year 13, all of whom had lots of experience of outdoor swimming, and they did a wonderful job to get things going.

Then it was time for the other swimmers to take on their challenge, some with colleagues from work and others just for the love of the sport. Among the participants was a team from Galloways accountancy firm. Team members took in turns to swim several slots during the night.

Gemma Wall, one of the team, who together raised £1,740, really enjoyed herself. She said: “It was an amazing experience – freezing cold but well worth it because it’s such a great cause.”

A pair from local tea specialists Bird & Blend, Georgina Webb and Shona McDonald, raised £580 and kindly donated a range of delicious teas for swimmers to warm up with after they finished.

And a team of four swimmers from Bennett Christmas Insurance Brokers managed to raise an amazing £2,313 – the top fundraisers for the event, so far.

Amanda Hetherington, Head of Partnerships at Rockinghorse, who took to the water herself at 3am, said: “It was so wonderful to be able to swim in this glorious pool in the middle of the night. It made it feel really special, and although it wasn’t very warm, it felt great to be part of a team of people all swimming for the same cause.”

Whilst the majority of swimmers took part for an hour, one amazing fundraiser decided to take on the whole 12 hours in half-hour chunks. Hildi Mitchell is a seasoned swimmer, having recently completed a channel swim, so the idea of swimming for long periods of time outdoors held less fear. However, it was still a challenge to swim for half an hour, then try and warm up for another half an hour, before getting back into the water.

At the end of her swim she said: “I started at sunset and finished at a beautiful sunrise, and it’s been a lovely, lovely night supporting Rockinghorse.”

Another team of swimmers from Roedean came along to complete the last hour of the swim at 6am, which was a great way to round off the event.

As a thank you to all the participants, everyone was given a Rockinghorse badge and a congratulations medal picture, coloured in by children from Hurst School Prep, Brighton College Pre-Prep and St. Christopher’s School in Hove.

Emma Henderson, Supporter Engagement Manager at Rockinghorse, was thrilled with the way the event went. She said: “We’ve never organised anything like this before and it’s gone brilliantly. We are so thankful to all the wonderful people who came out to swim and raise money for our Wellbeing Service at the Royal Alexandra Children’s Hospital. This money will make such a difference to so many children and their families.

“We would also like to thank Sea Lanes for their amazing space, Bird and Blend for donating all the wonderful tea, and to the Real Patisserie for providing some delicious pain au chocolats for the swimmers to refuel with after their swim.

“Watch this space for details of our next swim!”

To find out more, or to sign up for any of the charity’s other events, just visit the Events page on their website at www.rockinghorse.org.uk or contact Emma directly at emma@rockinghorse.org.uk.