The London City Swim - Royal Victoria Dock
The London City Swim, sponsored by Zoggs, takes place on September 21st at the Royal Victoria Dock in London. The aim of the swim is to bring together hundreds of swimmers who want to make a difference by raising money for Motor Neurone Disease. The London City Swim is a partner swim to the Amsterdam city swim. The purpose of both these swims is to raise money towards researching a cure for Motor Neurone Disease. The Swim is supported by (and supports) the Motor Neurone Disease Association and the Stephen Hawking Foundation.
The Motor Neurone Disease Association is the only national charity in England, Wales and Northern Ireland focused on improving access to care, research and campaigning for those people living with or affected by MND. They're a membership organisation with 9,000 members and over 7,000 active volunteers, and 170 paid staff, dedicated to improving the lives of people affected by MND, now and in the future. One key reasons the Stephen Hawking Foundation was founded is to facilitate and support work relating to Motor Neurone Disease and those living with the disease. The Stephen Hawking Foundation was launched in October 2015.
"As close friends of the founders of the Amsterdam City Swim, we felt a strong desire to add our weight to the fight for a cure for MND. With this in mind we started the London City Swim. In year 1 we raised nearly £140k, which went towards an MND research project called MiNE. We are very proud to have created this fund-raising platform, and play our small part in the development of a cure for the disease" Jamie Laming, Event Director
The London City Swim is a charity gala which sees each swimmer take on a 500m lap of Royal Victoria Dock in a series of waves. The 3 fastest men and 3 fastest women from each wave are invited to progress to the 200m Super-Sprint and Final. There are awards for both teams and individuals along with spot prizes, food, drink and a DJ. The London City Swim is the closest you'll get to a party in London. Swimmers not participating in the Super-Sprint and Final can wrap themselves up in a complimentary dressing gown and enjoy the all inclusive party while watching those in the final stage get serious!
If you would like to get involved in the London City Swim, you can enter the swim here. You need to be in good health and 18 or older to participate. This includes being capable of swimming at least 700m in a pool without needing to rely on resting in between lengths. Once you've signed up a fund-raising page will need to be created so you can start helping the London City Swim to raise money.
If you're already doing the London City Swim, you can browse Zoggs swimwear, goggles and training aids here. The London City Swim will release wet suit hire options on their Facebook and Twitter channels and via email. Wetsuits are not compulsory but it's advised, particularly if you're not acclimatised to swimming in cold water. You will be issued with a Zoggs cap, that is compulsory to wear, for the entire swim. Swimmers will also be issued with a tow float (optional) which must be returned after use. The main objective of the event however is to have fun and raise awareness and funds for MND. The event costs are covered by sponsors Intertrust and Barrows so every penny of the sponsorship money raised goes towards the £200,000 target.
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