Product category:
Sports marketing
News Release from: Limelight Sports
Edited by the Marketingservicestalk Editorial
Team on 05 February 2008
Limelight on course for world's largest
Swimathon
Limelight Sports is coordinating the world's largest swimming fundraiser - this year's Swimathon will raise money for Marie Curie Cancer Care and The Swimathon Foundation on 17-20 April 2008.
The hugely popular event will take place at over 500 pools throughout the UK and Limelight expects this year's Swimathon to be the biggest swimming fundraising event in the world Hollyoaks star Roxanne McKee and Olympic Gold Medallist Duncan Goodhew are fronting a marketing campaign designed to encourage more than 19,000 swimmers to sign up in time for the event in April
This year, Swimathon will reach an important landmark.
At the end of the three-day swimming marathon the company expects to have counted the event's 500,000th participant since its inception.
Swimmers have covered the equivalent distance of over 24 times round the world and have raised over GBP30 million for various charities in the 22-year history of the fundraiser.
Limelight Sports says more people take part in swimming than any other sport in UK and the company will soon announce an attractive new sponsorship package for Swimathon 2009.
Andy Anstey, Business Development Director for Limelight Sports, said: "When devising charity fundraising events one of the key components is ensuring they will have a lasting legacy; Swimathon has been going for nearly a quarter of a century, and it is more popular than ever - so clearly we are doing something right ".The great thing about Swimathon is that despite the hugely complex coordination involved it is still a very simple concept that people of all sporting abilities and fitness levels can relate to.
"It is undoubtedly one of the most accessible fundraisers in the world and we hope this year we can make it a huge success".
According to Limelight, participants will be asked to 'Swim the Challenge' to raise an estimated GBP1.8 million for Marie Curie Cancer Care and The Swimathon Foundation.
Marie Curie Cancer Care provides high-quality nursing, totally free to give terminally ill patients the choice of dying at home supported by their families.
As well as providing a home-nursing service, the charity runs 10 Marie Curie Hospices, which actively promote the best quality of life for people with cancer and other illnesses, completely free.
In addition, the charity also runs the world-renowned Marie Curie Research Institute, which investigates the causes and treatments of cancer.
In addition to Roxanne McKee and Duncan Goodhew, the campaign is being supported by Celia Birtwell, one of the UK's leading designers.
Birtwell has created a series of uniquely flattering, limited-edition swimming costumes to help encourage individuals to join Swimathon and help make this year's event the biggest event ever.
Limelight Sports delivers exceptional grassroots sports events with the single guiding principle of changing people's attitudes and behaviour.
It looks to maximise the impact of events by linking them into wider communication or delivery frameworks incorporating marketing and public relations strategies.
Limelight also brings together partnerships across public, private and voluntary sectors and has been instrumental in delivering sustainable long-term outcomes.
Previous and ongoing projects include: Nike RunLondon, Sainsbury's Sport Relief Mile, Swimathon, London Summer of Sport, JPMorgan Chase Corporate Challenge, and The London Youth Games.
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