Hundreds of swimmers put their bathing suits on for a good cause during an annual event which raises thousands for charity.

Once again, the Lynn Priory and Hunstanton Rotary clubs teamed up to put on two Swimarathon events, which saw 40 teams take part in the relay event.

Over at St James pool in Lynn, 33 teams, each with six swimmers, swam a combined total of more than 4,000 lengths of the 25 metre pool, a combined distance of more than 70 miles in a hectic six hours.

At the Oasis pool in Hunstanton, seven teams with four swimmers also made a massive effort to raise money for charity.

A spokesperson for both clubs said: “Special mention should go to one of the QEH Rehab teams, who managed an incredible 235 lengths, and to The Lavender Hill Mob Theatre Company, who had only two swimmers and still managed a courageous and highly creditable 38 lengths.”

Three primary schools entered teams: South Wootton Primary, Runcton Holme’s Holy Cross, and Glebe House RotaKids at Hunstanton.

Charities entering teams and benefitting from the event included Break Children’s Homes, Forward Day Centre, Homestart Norfolk, the Lavender Hill Mob Theatre Company, Little Discoverers, Little Miracles King’s Lynn and Fenland, Norfolk and Waveney Mind, The Papillon Project, the Purfleet Trust, the QEH Rehab Unit, St Faith’s Church, Tapping House, West Norfolk Autism Group, and West Norfolk Riding for the Disabled.

Donations are still coming in and have yet to be totalled, but will be well into five figures, the rotary clubs say.

The funds will be presented to the participating charities at a presentation evening at North Wootton Village Hall on February 19, when medals will also be presented to selected teams.

“Thanks must go to our generous sponsors who make this event possible. The main event sponsor was Adrian Flux, and lane sponsors were Roythorne & Son, Barsby Produce, Stephenson Smart, West Norfolk Glass, Hayes and Storr, Kenneth Bush, Freebridge, MKM Building Supplies, Learning Resources and Premier Voice/Uptech. Sponsors for Oasis were Specsavers Hunstanton and Mr Bun the Baker,” the spokesperson added.

Rotarian Ken Banks, heading up the event at Lynn, paid a special thank you to the pool staff from Alive Leisure and to all the volunteers on the day.

He said: “It was a fantastic day with a great atmosphere of fun and enthusiasm from all who took part.

“At the end of the day, the amounts raised for charity were well beyond our expectations, making the whole event incredibly worthwhile.”

Next year’s events will be on Saturday, February 6, where the two rotary clubs hope for another successful and enjoyable event.