Christmas Day swim raised funds for Offaly Search and Recovery unit

THE Annual Christmas day swim in Banagher was a great success this year with big thanks to both the brave swimmers and the generous donations they got from people that came on the day to support the swimmers. They are delighted to say €500 was raised from the bucket collection.

The most difficult thing to arrange for this event is the participants!!! Luckily the organisers Paul, Antoinette and Kevin can call in a few favours around a circle of friends and community and this year was no different. There is often the fear that the novelty has worn off for the Christmas Day swim gathering that has been going on for over 20 years in Banagher.

It was originally started to raise funds for running and the general upkeep of the local Banagher sub aqua club. This year it was decided to give any monies raised to the Offaly Search and Recovery unit through the local member John Mahon. Offaly Search and Recovery unit are an underwater diver club that was set up in order to provide the community and wider area with highly trained and dedicated voluntary dive team. The members use all their own equipment for training and search exercises. This equipment is very expensive to buy and needs to be serviced regularly in order to be fit for use at moment’s notice. Currently some of the unit are assisting on the river Deel in a search for a missing person in Crossmolina Co Mayo. The donation of the swim will go a small way to help in the paying of travelling expenses of fuel for the van and the boat and keeping the insurance of both paid annually.

As previously mentioned the swim is not possible without people willing to go for a swim on Christmas morning in the icy waters in the outdoor pool. Many thanks go to Paul Looby and Kevin Lynch for rounding up the brave swimmers and also to Miriam McCormack with the Banagher ‘swimming women’ that made up the numbers on the morning. Thank you to the MC on the morning, Sean Corrigan.

They would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the Banagher Shannon Bank Park Development Committee on their recent approval for enhancing the pool area (follow their page on Facebook). They look forward to a bigger and better Christmas Day swim in 2023.