The swimmers from Den Helder, six men and two women, started their journey on Friday evening at the Willem I-Sluis in Amsterdam. From there they swam into the night in relay form to finally step ashore after more than 24 hours at Den Helder. The proceeds: 10,000 euros for the Jeugdfonds Sport, which will pay swimming diplomas from them.
“It went faster than we thought,” says Bastiaan Habets, one of the swimmers. “Perhaps the wind was favorable. At least we soon led to schedule. I found the morning the morning. The sun rises quite early and then the morning doesn’t seem to stop anymore.”
Help for poor families
With the 10,000 euros that has been collected, Jeugdfonds Sport – which is financed by the municipality – can support even more children from families from the lowest income group. Last year, around 250 children were helped in a swimming diploma in Den Helder alone. Research shows that a quarter of the children from that group, between 6 and 16 years old, do not learn to swim well.
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