A LLANELLI man has completed a grueling swim across the Loughor estuary from Whiteford Lighthouse to Burry Port Harbour to raise funds for the Royal National Lifeboat Institute (RNLI).
Matthew Jenkins completed the swim on Sunday, July 26.
Speaking on the challenge he set himself, Matthew said he set his sights on the swim to give him something positive to focus on during these unprecedented times and raise vital funds for Burry Port RNLI.
The Swim was a family effort with Matthew’s two daughters also pitching in to sell RNLI cupcakes to supporters and bystanders near the lifeboat house.
The conditions were far from ideal on the day with a 7.2 metre tide accompanied by whitecaps waves and a south to southwesterly wind behind Matthew of approximately 20 mph.
However there was plenty of support from safety teams in the area to step in if needed with jet skis, kayaks and boats all keeping within safe distance.
Matthew set off on his challenge at approximately 10.45 and shortly afterwards supporters could see he was already past the halfway point.
The support shown from the beach was huge and it was obvious to all that Matthew was able to hear the chants of support and praise from those at the beach.
On completion of the challenge Matthew raised his hands as a thank you gesture for all of his support throughout the journey.
This small event has brought back a familiar feeling without the town of pre-pandemic days where events like these would be hugely supported by the community.
It was clear to see the support for both Matthew and Burry Port RNLI throughout the day.
A grand total of £822.25 was raised through Matthew’s Just Giving page.
Matthew has praised all of those who have supported him through the journey both in the water and on land and said he feels very ‘thankful’ for the support and the opportunity to complete the challenge.
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