WITH temperatures barely reaching a few degrees above freezing a group of wild swimmers hit the water at an open quarry to raise money for children with special needs.

Having forced themselves to acclimatise to ever decreasing temperatures since the autumn the swimmers successfully swam in Cromhall Quarry - without thermal protection.

Cromhall Diving Centre hosted the Chill Swim which has already earned over £6,000 in much-needed funds for the Starfish Pool Appeal - well above the initial £5,000 target.

The Almondsbury-based charity is trying to raise £1m to build a hydrotherapy pool at Claremont School, in Bristol, for children with complex disabilities. The pool will give them a place that will reduce their physical pain while they are in the warm water, increase muscle strength, and allow intensive physiotherapy.

Tina Cheesley, head of fundraising for the Starfish Pool Appeal said “It sounds crazy, but we wanted to set ourselves a tough challenge, and plunging into icy water to raise money for this much needed warm hydrotherapy pool was the best idea we came up with!”

The team of swimmers completed individual stretches which added up to 2840 metres in total. The surface of the water was about 6C by the time toes were first dipped in on Sunday, February 8.

Amongst the 20-strong relay team from across the country was 15-year-old Charlie Halliwell from Clifton who completed the maximum stretch of 200 metres.

Susie Huggins from the South West Seals wildswimming network who organised the challenge on behalf of the Starfish Pool Appeal praised Charlie’s dedication.

“He turns up for training every weekend without fail,” she said. “Cold water swimming can be hazardous, so everyone taking part has had to acclimatise and train regularly to make sure they can withstand the cold. Charlie has really proved himself.”

Susie Baker, founder of wildswimming group the South West Seals, came up with the fundraising idea and said that the whole event was “amazing”.

She said: “We had a real mix of swimmers, from complete beginners to more experienced cold water swimmers.”

On how the fundraiser initially came about, she added: “I had seen that Claremont School in Bristol was raising money for a hydrotherapy pool and thought it would be nice to do something cold for something hot – raising money through a cold-water swim to help support a nice warm pool at the school.”

For more information about the charity visit www.starfishpoolappeal.org.uk.

Anyone wishing to support Charlie’s fundraising appeal can do so at www.justgiving.com/icemileswimchallenge.