SWIMMERS who made an iconic sea crossing in Pembrokeshire last month have raised £3,000 for organisations who help to keep them safe in the water.

Last month’s Caldey Swim saw a shoal of 79 intrepid entrants striking out across the two-and-a-half miles from the monastic island to the mainland in Tenby.

The first swimmer, 25-year-old Alex Brown from Cardiff, was out of the water in just under an hour.

Tenby RNLI and Tenby Surflink have now each been presented with £1,500 in acknowledgement of their help with the event.

Tenby RNLI’s all-weather lifeboat, the Haydn Miller, was one of a number of craft which provided safety cover for swimmers, with Tenby Surflink members also out on the water in support.

The organisation, based at Tenby’s South Beach, teaches surf life-saving and water safety to youngsters as well as offering rowing, stand-up paddleboarding, kite surfing and windsurfing. It also provides water safety cover for a variety of events, including Ironman Wales, the Long Course Weekend and Tenby Boxing Day Swim.

Said Surflink chairman, Kev Cheeseman: “We have recently bought a new tractor to enable us to launch rescue craft and rowing boats and take kit down the beach, so this donation will help towards the cost.”

The event is organised by Tenby Sea Swimming Association (TSSA), who were relieved that weather conditions allowed the swim to go ahead after strong winds forced postponement of the original date a fortnight before.

Swimming between Caldey Island and Tenby has been a long-standing tradition for individuals and small groups in the town.

But since 2013, the crossing has established itself on the wider open water swimming calendar under the umbrella of TSSA, which has organised Tenby’s legendary Boxing Day Swim for nearly 50 years.

“We’ve managed to hold just five Caldey Swims in seven years, so we count it as a very special swim because of its rarity,” said TSSA chairman Chris Osborne.

The event was sponsored by FBM Holidays, the Port of Milford Haven, Harbour Wealth Management, Princes Gate Spring Water and Four Seasons

For more information, see tenby-caldey-swim.co.uk