Swimmers in Saffron Walden made a massive splash for charity by taking part in the Sainsbury’s Sport Relief Swimathon.

Thirty people took the plunge themselves, or took part with family and friends, to complete a swimming challenge of their choice, be it 200m or 5k, all while raising funds for those in need.

Beckie Reynolds, deputy contract manager at Lord Butler, added: “Swimathon 2014 was a huge success. It was great to see so many members of the community take in this fantastic fundraising event and make 2014 even more memorable for sport.

“The event’s ability to provide challenging swims and raise money for great causes remains as strong as ever.”

The Swimathon took place at over 600 pools across the UK and added to the countrywide Sport Relief effort.

More than £51m was raised on Friday’s live BBC Sport Relief show, beating the record £50.4m raised during the last show two years ago.

And the fundraising continued across the country over the weekend in a bid to break the 2012 overall total of £67,977,824.

Money raised will go to Sport Relief to help people living tough lives both here in the UK and around the world.

To see what other Sport Relief events took place in the area, turn to pages 10-11.