Every stroke raised £3,000 cash for The Royal National Lifeboat Institution charity

The Royal National Lifeboat Institution will benefit from the efforts of more than 30 swimmers who took part in a swimathon on September 29.

The swimmers at the West Wickham Leisure Centre achieved a total of 52km, exceeding the 42km needed for a marathon, and their efforts will raise nearly £3,000 for the charity.

The event was organized by the Rotary Club of Beckenham. The Mayor of Bromley, Councillor Nicholas Bennett, accompanied by his wife, attended and the Mayor swam a useful distance towards the target.

An extra event this year was the unveiling of a scale model of the Newhaven lifeboat Kathleen Mary by the Mayor of Bromley.

The scale model was built by David Crowden of the Bromley RNLI fundraising branch.

The draw for the prize of a two-night stay for two at the RNLI College in Poole Dorset, took place that evening at Prima Donnas Restaurant, West Wickham.

The lucky winner will enjoy this fabulous prize, donated by the RNLI.

A spokesman for the RNLI said: We are grateful to the West Wickham Leisure Centre and other Rotary Clubs and sponsors, whose generous support made the event possible.

Our final thanks are to the swimmers, whose efforts to swim a marathon have now been achieved and whose supporters have so generously given to the RNLI.”