Durban north swimmers to swim the extra ‘mile’ for charity

MIDMAR 8-Mile swimmers, Ashleigh Clarke and Lance Fraser, will host a CANSA Active Swimathon charity swim to raise funds for the organisation as part of the Midmar Mile.

The father/daughter duo, together with other family members, have decided to hold a swimathon at Northlands Primary School on November 4 from 8:30 to 16:00.

Also read: Cupcakes of Hope fundraiser a sweet success in uMhlanga

Clarke said all 8-Mile swimmers are mandated to raise funds for a charity of their choice, and their chosen beneficiary is CANSA Active.

“It’s not competitive at all, and anybody can enter. All you have to do is swim for 30 minutes. You can bring a team and participate in the form of a relay or you can swim for 30 minutes yourself, but you have to be in the water for 30 minutes,” she said.

Fraser added that CANSA Active is their chosen beneficiary as the organisation does incredible work in promoting a healthy lifestyle and because it does not receive any funding from Government.

“There are various other charities which other swimmers support. All of the money raised via 8-Mile initiatives goes to charity – 50% to a charity of your choice and 50% to a group of chosen 8-Mile charities,” he said.

Last year, at the family’s first fundraiser, the event attracted 100 swimmers of all ages groups.

The little ones who could not swim for the full 30 minutes were assisted by Lance and others as they helped them around the pool.

“We chose Northlands Primary as the venue this year because it has a heated pool and the little children would benefit from that,” said Fraser.

The family is encouraging swimmers from families, business, schools, organisations and the like to enter. Businesses may also use this as a team-building exercise and help charity at the same time.

“There are so many people fighting or who have fought cancer. By promoting healthy living, we can keep cancer at bay,” said Clarke.

Companies can also sponsor a lane and obtain a Section 18A Certificate from CANSA.

Food and beverages will be on sale on the day, and there will be raffles and spot prizes.

For more information and to enter, contact Ashleigh via email at events@vfs.co.za or WhatsApp at 083 288 5745.

For more from Northglen News, follow us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. You can also check out our videos on our YouTube channel or follow us on TikTok.