PLATTS Common lifeguard Robert Blackburn and his mate Sam Leake from Birdwell are swimming for charity - and they have already raised £964 for Bluebell Wood Children's Hospice.
Veteran swimmer Robert has raised thousands for good causes through his swimming stunts, and this time he is taking part in the Great North Swim on June 12.
The event is the UK's biggest open water swimming event and set in the beautiful surroundings of Windermere in the Lake District.
Robert, 33, of Guest Street, Platts Common, and Sam, 34, of Rockley Avenue, Birdwell, have opted for the five kilometres. Robert said: "It's like doing 200 lengths of a swimming pool. You have to do all of it in two hours or they make you get out of the water because it's too cold to carry on longer."
** The full story is in the Barnsley Chronicle newspaper, dated May 8. **
