WITH entries trickling in slowly, organisers of Poole’s annual swimarathon are hoping to be deluged with a wave of applications in the next few weeks.

Now that Christmas and New Year celebrations are out of the way, Poole Lions Club is urging people to make up teams, get in the water and help raise funds for charity.

The 35th yearly Swimarathon takes place over the weekend of February 2-3 with the Lions aiming to raise £30,000 for needy local charities.

This major two-day fund-raising event will take place at the Dolphin Swimming Pool in Kingland Road.

Teams of six swimmers and a non-swimming captain are being sought to lap up lengths in a relay over 55 minutes and raise as much sponsorship as they can.

This year the charities to benefit will be Julia’s House children's hospice, Forest Holme palliative care unit, the Chestnut Nursery sheltered work project, heart monitors for Alderney Hospital, Home Start South East Dorset which offers support for families and The Purple Teardrop refuge for trafficked women.

Poole Rotary and the Soroptimists will be helping with the event, as usual, and they have nominated two of the charities.

“It gets tougher every year,” said organiser Ray Kressinger. “We have a hard core of people who enter year in year out.”

“I hope people will get involved with this important charity event,” he said.

For details of the event and an application form contact raykressinger@hotmail.com or ring Ray on 07739 638318.