Flipping mad! 

The day Kirsty got rather wet swimming down The Thames - in January! - SWTV 

 

Dressed to the nines in a full-body dry suit and armed with flippers, our resident dare-devil Kirsty Heber-Smith took to the Thames on Sunday with members of the Swindon Sub-Aqua Club.

Raising money for the RNLI, eleven swimmers floated two miles down the Thames from Inglesham to Lechlade, in an event which has now been held for almost 30 years.

It wasn't an easy task either, with the cold conditions and resident ducks and swans causing a few delays.

Almost an hour later and the bobbing swimmers arrived at the lock near The Trout pub in Lechlade, where they were greeted with some much deserved soup and refreshments.

 

Braving it: Kirsty dries off after joining The Swindon Sub-Aqua Club raise money for the RNLI with their sponsored Thames swim

81-year-old John Hamilton, who founded the SSAC, said: “We've got over 50 members now, and it's the people who have joined since me who make events like today possible.”

Chair of the Swindon RNLI, Valerie Nuttall, said: “We really admire the Sub-Aqua Club for organising this event, and we're really grateful for all the money they have raised for us over the years.”

 

photos by: Amy Read

Filming by: Calyx TV