HUNDREDS of swimmers took to the water on Father’s Day to raise almost £50,000 for the British Heart Foundation.

The bad weather of the previous few days didn’t stop 250 determined swimmers from showing their support for the charity by taking part in the mile-long Weymouth Bay swim from the Pavilion to the stone groyne at Greenhill.

Event organiser Hannah Carling said there had been a great turnout.

She said the event had gone well and despite the bad weather forecasts it had cleared into a good morning.

Hannah said that Event Water Safety were in the water to make sure everyone was safe. She said: “They were following on body boards and alongside the swimmers and making sure everyone was safe.”

She added: “The water was nine degrees.”

Chloe Gilmartin, 21, and her brother Max, 13, from Weymouth, did the swim two years ago in memory of their aunty May and they decided to do the swim again this year.

Chloe said: “We are hoping to raise £50 each.”

Also among the swimmers was former Dorset Echo reporter Mary Griffin, who is hoping to raise £1,300 for the charity.

She signed up to do the swim after receiving a phone call from her brother saying their father had suffered a heart attack.

She said: “I felt helpless and powerless. I got online and signed up to the swim within an hour of hearing the news.

“It made me feel that I was doing something good.”

Sadly Mary’s father passed away the next day but Mary said she is determined to raise lots of money to help the BHF. She added that people had been ‘very generous’ in supporting her.

First to cross the finish line was Joseph Tellett, who completed the swim in 24 minutes and 30 seconds.

He said: “It was cold and reasonably calm.

“I had a great day.”

James Hollis was part of a group of three swimmers with rubber ducks, penguins and even sharks attached to their swimming caps so that the group wouldn’t lose each other in the crowd.

He said: “It was really nice, not too cold and not too choppy.”

He added: “There were lots of crabs down there, I had a good look.”

Weymouth youngsters Tara, 21, and Gemma, 17, Lawrence and George Bell, 18, completed the swim together.

Tara said: “We literally came down on the day, Gemma has done it for the last four years and so she got us to do it.”

Gemma said: “It was a very good day.”