56 runners from across the area took on SARA’s Wild Wye Swim on Sunday and raised over £1500 for the charity. In this unique race, competitors run from Chepstow Castle, through Tidenham Tunnel and then swim across the Wye at Livox, before running back to Chepstow and finishing in Piercefield Park. It has a reputation as being tough but incredibly beautiful, and the weather on Sunday certainly helped. SARA provides safety cover for the swim, which is timed for the slack water at high tide. This year the SARA team from Kidderminster borough down their big flood rescue boat to help, and SARA Newport sent a small rescue boat, joining the boats from SARA Beachley.

Race Organiser Richard Newhouse said: “This was the 4th time we have put on this race. The competitors love this course, and for us a lot of it is great training value as well as fundraiser. We are very grateful to the Racecourse, the Greenway and the other landowners for allowing this race to happen.”

This year’s winners were Ashley Middlewick from London, in 1 hour 1 minute, and Rose Lewis from Cardiff in 1 hour 15.

No sooner had the SARA boats returned to Beachley than they were called out by the Coastguard, to a capsized catamaran near the Severn Bridge! It was a busy day for the SARA volunteers.

The Wild Wye Swim is an annual long-distance swimming event in the beautiful River Wye, first held in 2017. Swimmers have the opportunity to swim down the Wye from Kerne Bridge and from Lower Lydbrook to Huntsham Bridge.

The swim is organised to raise vital funds to enable the charity to carry out its rescue work across the area. SARA water rescue teams provide safety cover throughout the length of the course.

For more information, visit www.sara-rescue.org.uk.