Drake’s Island swim- Chestnut Appeal
Business Profile: M.H.Associates
3rd July 2017
OM Magazine, Issue 103, August 2017
26th July 2017
The second annual Chestnut Appeal Drakes Island swim took place on Saturday 15th July.
This swim saw over 100 participants who set off from the beach at Firestone Bay with the swim to Drakes Island and back around 1.5km in distance. The swim was slightly delayed due to the late departure of a HMS Submarine from Devonport Dockyard. But once the Submarine had passed by Drakes Island the swimmers set off for the first of two Buoys set down at each end of the Island.
The sea conditions were good and although there was a breeze coming from the South the shelter of the Bay meant that the surface of the sea was still relatively calm. And it was not long before the first of the swimmers were back clambering over the Boulders and heading towards a warm cup of tea and a breakfast burrito kindly supplied by Jim and his staff from Victuals Café
Although the swim was a challenge rather than a race, the first five swimmers were all keen to achieve good times. Ben Proctor being first home followed by Gavin who beat his Dad Steven for the first time and James who was on Holiday from the Midlands just beating Jack to the finish area.
Swimmers then came in at a steady flow with the majority back around the 30-40 minute mark. The delayed start meant that the Tide was now pushing out and the last of the swimmers really had to battle against the pull away from the finish line.
David Squires from the Chestnut Appeal said “It’s a great swim for anyone new to an organised Open Water Swim. We had a great range of ages from 74 to 13”.
In 2016 the swim raised over £8,000 for the Chestnut Appeal for Prostate Cancer an amount that helped the charity provide the very latest in equipment for faster diagnosis of prostate cancer now in place at Derriford Hospital in Plymouth.
At a cost of £105,000 the Ultrasound – MRI Fusion Scanner for Targeted Diagnosis of Prostate Cancer is the first of its kind in the region. The Chestnut Appeal hope that soon they can announce the arrival of a second Scanner in the East of the region and it is their aim and with the support of the public to install others in Torbay and Truro as and when funds allow.
David Squires from the Chestnut Appeal said “‘The charity would like to say a huge well done to everyone who took part in the 2017 Drakes Island swim as well as all our Volunteers who worked tirelessly throughout the event’
