All set to smash the world record and make £1000s for End Polio Now!

24 days to go. First of all a huge thanks to all those of you who are already actively using our new Rotary Global Swimarathon Support Forum on Facebook. We'll be looking to hold regular live chat sessions on there at different times of the day over the next few weeks to help bring everyone together at the same time and to give us chance to share our progress and help each other - look out for announcements to come.

Thanks very much to everyone who's responded so far on our request for details of your local events. I'd like to share with you a few of the details which will hopefully give you a sense of just how big this event really is going to be....

Just going to list out 5 clubs as an example - remember there are 76 registered worldwide now :)

Club Name	Location	Swimmers for WR attempt	Fundraising target (£)
Rotary Club of Grantham, UK	Grantham Meres Leisure Centre	500	3000
Rotary Club of Townsville Daybreak, Australia	Long Tan Swimming Pool	1000	2500
Rotary Club of Zamboanga City Phillipines	Joaquim F Enriquez Sports Stadium Pool	960	1500
Rotary Club of Knaresborough	Knaresborough Swimming Pool	200	1500
Rotary Club of Mareeba	Mareeba Swimming Pool	400	3500
Total		3060	12000

So in just 5 events - we can exceed the 2533 swimmer target and raise over £12,000  ($20,000 US) in the process.

This is going to be one very special day......

An Incredible Global community of swimmers united to End Polio Now!

46 days to go.

Another milestone reached, as we can announce our 40th full registered club taking part in the event.
The Rotary Club of Mawddach in District 1180 Wales, became our first entry from Wales, and our 17th overall in Great Britain and Ireland - many thanks to Rotarian Beryl Clark for registering your club.

We're reaching ever more countries as well - just today Ellen Yu from the Rotaract club of Shanghai, China confirmed that their club had voted to take part - so very much look forward to them joining the list.

Sometimes, rather than words, a simple picture will suffice. Here's a first draft map capturing all of the clubs signed up to date around the world - just wonderful to see it all here

View Rotary Global Swimarathon participants map

Welcome to the Official Rotary Global Swimarathon Blog!

Hello and a very warm welcome to this the first post of the official blog of the Rotary Global Swimarathon event taking place on the 25th February 2012. We are inviting Rotary Clubs and friends all around the world to organize teams of swimmers to take part in a global simultaneous swimming event with all proceeds going to the EndPolioNow campaign. 

For the past 22yrs have seen the Rotary Club of Grantham,  England  hold a highly successful “RotarySwimarathon” raising over £500,000 for local charities and deserving causes.

In 2012 (apart from the usual event 3/4/5 Feb) they are holding an extra event – this will be in the form of a Rotary Global Swimarathon - setting a new World Record (presently 2533) for the most number of people swimming at the same time anywhere in the world and raising funds towards Rotary Internationals worldwide project to eradicate Polio.

The event will take place on Saturday 25^th February 2012 at midday – 1pm GMT.  To qualify for the World Record attempt each swimmer will have to swim just 100metres without stopping within the hour – there will be a nominal entrance fee which will all go to the Rotary Foundation – and help in the campaign to rid the world of Polio

After 20 years of hard work, Rotary and its partners are on the brink of eradicating this tenacious disease, but a strong push is needed now to root it out once and for all. It is a window of opportunity of historic proportions.

Your contribution will help Rotary raise $200 million to match $355 million in challenge grants received from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The resulting $555 million will directly support immunization campaigns in developing countries, where polio continues to infect and paralyze children, robbing them of their futures and compounding the hardships faced by their families.

As long as polio threatens even one child anywhere in the world, children everywhere remain at risk. The stakes are that high.

Event Chairman Roger Graves  said –“it all started as a bit of a joke to hold a Global Swimarathon but now the reality is setting in and we hope to achieve the following across the world:-

1.       Set a new World Record for the most number of people swimming at the same time

2.       Raise funds towards the elimination of Polio

3.       Increase the awareness of Rotary

4.       Encourage more people to swim and stay fit

So far registrations for the event have been received from New Zealand, The Philippines, South Africa, Hong Kong, Portugal and the United Kingdom.

Stop press! – as of today, 27 th September 2011 , with exactly 150 days still to go , we already have over 70 clubs planning to take part, in over 30 countries across all 6 continents of the world . You can get all the latest updates and information at http://www.facebook.com.rotaryglobalswimarathon/ or why not follow us on twitter at www.twitter.com/rotaryglobeswim