Chilly waters greet New Year's Day swimmers

Lily Dane • Published 5 Jan 2012 13:00 0 Comments

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The hardy swimmers get their first feel of the water at Galloon.

The annual Galloon charity swimmers once again rang in the New Year in Co. Fermanagh by plunging into the chilly waters of Lough Erne. The long held popular event sprung into action at 1pm on New Year's Day at Galloon jetty, outside Newtownbutler.

Those taking up the yearly challenge were said to have lined up on "a flooded jetty depicting a scene from the Bible of the walking on water as they made their way along the wooden jetty."

According to an onlooker, a northern westerly wind blew that would cut corn but it did not deter the swimmers who participated in the 19th annual Galloon Charity Swim which this year raised funds for the Neurofibromatosis charity.

Funds of over £175,000 have been raised over the past 19 years and have been distributed to charities the length and breadth of the country.

Most of the participants come from the surrounding area with some travelling from other parts of Fermanagh, Cavan and Monaghan.

Organiser John Fitzpatrick congratulated all who took part and all who came out on such a cold day to show their support. He thanked the local businesses in the area for their continued support for the venture and looked forward to next year which will be the 20th annual swim.

He expressed gratitude to the Lough Erne Search and Rescue team who have provided their services since they were formed some years ago and serve as a vital safety provision on the day and all those who helped out at the jetty on the day.

All swimmers are reminded to hand in their cards before the end of this month with the cheque presentation due to take place in early February.

This article appeared in Impartial Reporter 05 Jan 12

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Feb 9, 08:20
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