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THE 28TH ANNUAL ACROSS MERSEY SWIM
From humble beginnings in 1993 , the award winning ' Across Mersey Swim ' is now in its 28th year . This historic and iconic mass participation open water swimming event will take place on Sunday 19th September in association with Love Lane Brewery , Wirral Life and Alfa Advance , starting on high water at 10:45 hrs at the Cockle Inlet just south of the Albert Dock and will finish at the Monks Ferry slipway close to Woodside .
Around 170 swimmers will attempt the showcase event in bridging the city regions of Liverpool and Wirral across the River Mersey , which is now recognised as an outstanding contribution to Leisure & Tourism in raising the international profile of the river and the communities that surround it .
This swim has become something of a local community endeavour , with PODS of swimmers from a whole host of clubs and charities swimming as teams to complete the challenge whilst raising funds for their chosen charity .
We have seen a huge increase in open water swimming along the coast of both sides of the river throughout the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown ’ s resulting in a different attitude among swimmers . People are increasingly recognising the importance of open water swimming for their mental and emotional health .
Although the ' Across Mersey ' swim is not widely advertised , swimmer numbers have doubled over the last year , a true testament to the resilience of our community during the difficult time of lockdown and social distancing .
This year ’ s swim will follow the same format as last year with Covid specific precautions kept in place :
• All swimmers to sign a Covid declaration to confirm they are symptom free and have not been in contact with anyone showing symptoms in the previous week .
• All swimmers will be provided with face coverings before start and after exiting the water .
• Volunteers , including those on support boats , will be provided with PPE .
• One support boat will be designated for emergency extraction from the water if necessary .
Event organiser Liam Hanlon is looking forward to welcoming the many first-time swimmers drawn from near and far including Australia and Mexico , as well as the Mersey swim legend veterans like Joe Kerrigan ( 82yrs ) and Ray Hanlon ( 76 yrs ) to swim amongst the growing list of elite young Mersey swimmers .
As with any adventure swimming event it would not be possible without the help and support of safety crews .
A huge thanks to the RHIB ’ s and their crew ’ s that support the swim , Jamie Hanlon at the helm of the Safety RHIB , Mrs J2 and Jim Tinsley & Dave Parry who will coordinate the safe start and passage of the swimmers through the busy shipping lanes and strong tidal flows . Kevin Gerrard and the Ormskirk Diving Club for PAULA JO , to Paul Pratt and Peter Kenny on the Iantha and the boat and crew from Liverpool Yacht Achoholic , the support from Liverpool Marina and the two RHIBS from Merseyside Sub-Aqua Club and Richard Webster in the little RHIB supporting the swimmers . Thank you !
Organisation and shore safety for this Liverpool Heartbeat John Hulley 1863 Legacy Event will be managed by Paul Lavelle Foundation team . The event registration and shore safety team , Debbie Hanlon and Andrea Davies , will ensure a safe departure and arrival of swimmers .
The event organisers would also like to thank Joe Blythe Marine Operations Manager at Peel Ports for their support , the ‘ watch-full eye ’ from the crew of Marine Fire 1 , New Brighton Lifeboat , the Coast Guard and all other agencies involved in the success of this amazing event . The swimmers and support team will again raise thousands of pounds for various local charities and good causes .
With a quarter century of successful swims in a unique format of Community , Charity & Sporting Challenge , the voluntary organisers are hoping the increased swimmer numbers will profile the mighty River Mersey Swim as ‘ The ’ Adventure Swim Challenge of the Year ,
To get involved or for further information contact Liam Hanlon , tri-4-life on 07966 529133 .
Tri-4-life event director Liam Hanlon thanks everyone for their outstanding commitment , performance & achievement . wirrallife . com 13