Athlone Sub-Aqua Club organises “Bay to BBQ” swim challenge fundraiser
A major fundraising event will take place next month for the purchase of a new boat for the Athlone Sub-Aqua Club’s Search and Recovery Unit.
The Bay to the BBQ 6km swim challenge from Hodson Bay to Athlone Castle takes place on Sunday, September 26 next with all entrants required to raise a minimum of €100 through the iDonate fundraising platform.
Last year was a difficult year for Athlone Sub-Aqua Club with the Covid-19 pandemic severely restricting their ability to fundraise. An urgent priority for the club is the purchase of a new Rib (rigid-hull inflatable boat) as their current boat, due to age, has become more difficult and expensive to maintain.
The Search and Recovery Unit of Athlone Sub-Aqua Club is available to the local community, the Gardai and the Irish Coast Guard 365 days a year and is entirely manned by volunteers. The club is hoping that everyone will get behind its major fundraiser next month and show their support for the vital service provided by the Search and Recovery Unit.
The Bay to the BBQ swim is a public event open to anyone who wishes to take part. As well as there being a 6km swim challenge, which runs from Hodson Bay to Athlone Castle, there are also two shorter swim courses, one from Market 644 to Athlone Castle (a distance of 3km) and another option of a 1km swim, from the Golden Mile to Athlone Castle.
Wetsuits and two floats are mandatory for all participants, regardless of the distance being covered, and the organisers are keen to stress that all swimmers will be accompanied along the route by swim safety volunteers.
Junior swimmers, aged 14 and over, will be permitted to swim only in the 1km swim, with the full consent of a parent or guardian, and all participants will receive a free t-shirt and a colour coded swim hat indicating which distance division they are taking part in.
A BBQ will be provided for all swimmers at the Quay Wall and, Covid-19 restrictions permitting, it is hoped to have live music and entertainment from local musicans and acts on the day of the fundraising event.
All those wishing to take part in the Lough Ree fundraising swim on September 26 must complete a registration form, after which the organisers will send a link to each participant for the iDonate fundraising page. The link can then be shared among friends and family in order to raise a minimum of €100 in order to take part.