Thornbury Rotary Swimarathon
Thornbury Active Centre
Thornbury Rotary is delighted, once again, to be able to host the Swimarathon at Thornbury Leisure Centre.
The fun Swimarathon event has been 'run' since the 1980s and has raised over £500,000 for local and national charities and good causes. For 2026, the Swimarathon will take place on the evening of Friday 6th and afternoon of Saturday 7th March.
Teams of up to 6 friends, family members, colleagues or club members swim lengths in turn; each individual - or the whole team - seek sponsorship for their efforts. There is no charge for taking part.
For full details and to book your team’s place visit the Swimarathon website below now.
The Rotary Club of Thornbury thanks all past swimmers and sponsors for the fabulous support given to the annual Swimarathon event. Swimarathon 2026 will be taking place on Friday 6th and Saturday 7th March at the Thornbury Leisure Centre.
This major Thornbury community event raises funds for many charities and good causes. The principal beneficiaries for 2026 are local charities Krunch South West and JIGSAW Thornbury. Once again, Panache Steel Band will be playing at most of the sessions, creating a fun atmosphere as the teams enjoy their swims.
Teams of up to 6 members (all ages) swim lengths in turn. Each individual, or the whole team seeks sponsorship for their efforts. There is no charge for taking part. This is not a race, nor an endurance test, but a fun event to raise money for great causes.
For full details and to book your team’s place visit the Thornbury Rotary website then click the ‘The Annual Swimarathon’. Sponsorship forms are available to download, or, for online donations, click onto our: JustGiving page.
Thornbury Rotary Club has contributed to the life of the town and surrounding district since 1971, and has raised over £500,000 on behalf of many charities and local, national and international projects, charities and appeals.
Thirty-one founder members met at The Ship Hotel, Alveston for our Inaugural Meeting Ceremony on Friday 30th April 1971, under the Chairmanship of the Rotary International Representative and District Governor.
Today we usually meet, still at The Ship, every fortnight at 7.30pm.
We help and support our community by making use of members' personal skills and professional experience and our high-visibility yellow jackets are a familiar sight at street events and many other local activities.
We raise funds to donate to local, national and international projects and charities, and organise such important events as Swimarathon, Kids Out and Young Musicians, as well as lending assistance to events such as the Fireworks Display and Christmas Lights Switch On.
All these things are a mere snapshot of support our Club has provided to the local community, and also to communities in need across the globe with projects such as Lend with Care and Tools for Self-Reliance.
Making the most of modern media, we use our club website to reach out into the Community to highlight our work and hopefully attract the next generation of Rotarians.
Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) is a leadership program coordinated by Rotary Clubs around the globe. Each year, thousands of young people participate in this program.
Young people ages 14–30 are sponsored by Rotary Clubs to attend the event run by the club's district committee. Participants are chosen for their leadership potential. Rotary Clubs and the Rotary District cover all expenses for the participants.
The format of the event varies from district to district, but commonly take the form of a seminar, camp, or workshop to discuss leadership skills and to learn those skills through practice. Rotary clubs and districts select participants and facilitate the event's curriculum.
RYLA aims to:
Every RYLA program covers the following core topics:
For more information please use this link.
Candidates who aspire for a fun time while learning please contact Thornbury Rotary Club Secretary via the Club website (www.thornburyrotary.org.uk) for information.
“Kids Out” is part of a National Rotary day out for children with special educational needs held in June.
Competitions such as Youth Speaks, Young Musicians with activities Rotary Youth Leadership Awards RYLA and many more.
For more information visit our website: www.thornburyrotary.org.uk.
Tools With A Mission
Thornbury Rotary Club continues to support Tools with a Mission. This Christian charity collects unwanted usable tools, refurbishes them, sorts them into trade tool kits, and sends them to the developing world for livelihood creation.
TWAM believe that people living in extreme poverty don't just need a financial handout that may allow them to eat for one day; they need a way to consistently earn money and put food on the table every single day. Tools give them the push that they need to build their own businesses, giving them a sustainable income and putting poverty in the past for good.
Every year, they send around 16 containers filled with over 225 tonnes of refurbished tools to over 500 local community groups and skills centres, giving these communities the resources to develop a mindset of independence, not reliance.
If you would like to donate some of your old tools, contact Rotarian Robin Cole-Morgan on 01454 414281.
