The Big Splash Mile for Sport Relief challenge was launched as part of the Swimathon Weekend over 27 – 29 April 2012.

The launch took place in 10 pools across Great Britain with swimming ambassadors Duncan Goodhew and Jodie Kidd swimming the first two lengths at London’s Oasis Sports Centre.

There were also features across national and regional television through Big Splash partners, the BBC.

It doesn’t take much to get club leaders Ali and Stuart swimming in open water, particularly when we mentioned celebrity chef Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall would be cooking up some tasty carb-loading dishes after a 3km river swim at Wareham.

Ali and Stuart were part of a group of open water swimmers featured in an episode of River Cottage Veg. Vegetarian triathlete Colin Hill (of Great Swim fame), Ali, Stuart and the swimmers tackled the snacks with gusto. There’s also footage of Colin and Stuart competing in the 2011 10km Dart Swim.

Ronan Keating and Jenny Frost led a 10-man relay team across the treacherous 56 miles of Irish Sea to raise money for Cancer Research UK last week.

The team – a mixture of celebrities and ‘everyday swimmers’ – reached Dublin in 35 hours and 18 minutes after setting off from Holyhead, North Wales at 9pm on 30 August 2011.

Gadget guru, Jason Bradbury will join Sir Richard Branson and Ronan Keating in The Swim, a unique celebrity relay team challenge, tackling the treacherous Irish Sea from Holyhead to Dublin - a distance of 56 miles - to raise £1 million for Cancer Research UK.

Bradbury is currently the host of Five’s ‘The Gadget Show’, and more recently the BBC1 family game show, ‘Don’t Scare the Hare.’ With a career spanning fifteen years, from stand-up comedy with David Walliams and Simon Pegg, slots on The Big Breakfast and Sky1 to writing a trilogy of preteen techno-thriller books, Bradbury certainly has the stamina to be part of The Swim team.

Swimstock will take place on 21 May 2011 at Park Club, West London. The event is a celebration of all things swimming and the day will involve various aquatic activities, such as ‘Race Rebecca’ and the ‘Blooming Great Underwater Tea Party’. Alongside pool events there will be a live music performance from Sophie Ellis-Bextor and a BBQ on the go (weather permitting!).

Sir Richard Branson and Ronan Keating are taking on the ultimate challenge of captaining a relay team to swim the Irish Sea, set a new Guinness World Record and raise £1million for Cancer Research UK.

Find out how two members of the public, who are regular swimmers, will have the once in a lifetime opportunity to be part of The Swim.

EastEnders star Steve McFadden swam one mile for charity across the tidal mouth of the River Fal from Pendennis Point to St Mawes to raise money for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution.

The RNLI is a charity dedicated to saving lives at sea by providing a 24-hour lifeboat search and rescue service around UK coasts.

Swimmers had to raise £50 each in sponsorship.

Then…dive in the deep end and donate! Plunge into your pockets and fish out £3 – the price of a swim! Bargain!

Jane Barr, Marcus English, Al Rogers and Nicola Houghton are making a film celebrating lido life in an original, new comedy ‘The Swimmer’ – a British short film packed with all the fun and eccentricities of Brits on a summer’s day.

The film follows their poor swimmer as he tries to swim a few lengths on the busiest day in summer. Swimmers out there will understand!

View video of 5 live Breakfast presenter Shelagh Fogarty braving the icy waters of the Serpentine in London’s Hyde Park to swim a mile for Sport Relief.

“I’ve always been drawn to water. Maybe it’s all the fun it’s given me, all the adventures. Perhaps it’s how I feel when I’m in it – I feel free.” - Robson Green