Rob Swim Serpentine for Friends of the Dart.

Aim

I am supporting the Friends of the Dart crowdfunder appeal "Lets Stop Sewage in the Dart", by swimming the 2 mile course Of The Serpentine.

Please help me support the Friends of the Dart. Their aim is to rid the River Dart of sewage by holding the South West Water to account for dumping untreated sewage and other harmful chemicals in to our beautiful river.

Whilst preparing for this event I have been swimming in the sea, but on days when the wind is blowing easterly, it is too rough in Torbay to swim so I ask, or look, on the Friends of the Dart Facebook page to find out if the river is safe, and regularly the response is no. Often with high levels of bacteria like Ecoli and enterococcus  in the water, these will make anybody sick and has made hundreds of swimmers in the Dart sick. So the money they hope to raise will help pay for more testing kits. This is a very necessary service that helps river users make an informed decision about whether they should or shouldn't swim in the river, and it also helps to document the levels of bacteria and chemicals so this can be presented to those responsible, including South West Water.

This organisation is run by volunteers who are very passionate about protecting the river and holding the polluters to account. 

Its not only the people that suffer, of course we can choose not to swim to protect ourselves, but it's the birds, fish and other animals the live in and around the river that cannot escape the sewage need their help too, these poor creatures are literally, ingesting sewage.  

This project successfully funded on 22nd September 2024