RoofWright Managing Director Dave Blakeman and his relay team completed an 11-
kilometre sea swim round the Galley Head peninsula in aid of Marymount University
Hospital and Hospice and the West Cork Underwater Search and Rescue team in mid-July.
Starting at Red Strand the team took it in turns to swim legs before ending at the Warren
Beach in scenic West Cork. The highlight was swimming past the imposing Galley Head
peninsula and its famous lighthouse.
Speaking after the challenge Dave said, “I am passionate about swimming, and especially in
the sea. It is something I do regularly and putting my hobby and the enjoyment I get from it
towards raising money for a worthy cause is something I had wanted to do for some time.
To complete the challenge with my friends was a truly memorable experience and I am
delighted we did it”.
“What we didn’t know until we turned up on the day was the overall scale of the event.
There were 163 swimmers in 60 teams and a flotilla of over 60 support boats. In total the
event has raised over 80k and we are pushing on to try and make it a 100k”.
“The weather was fantastic giving us a relatively calm sea and our team completed in three
hours and 41 minutes. Incredibly the winner completed in just over two and a half hours.
Congratulations to them”.
“It was fantastic to be involved in, and certainly something I would think about doing again”.
For anybody who might like to donate, Dave and his fellow swimmers have a just giving
page https://www.gofundme.com/f/galley-flashers-galley-head-swim.