Over the weekend, we brought our community together at Great Lengths 2024. This fun and inclusive event was a great success, showcasing inclusivity and raising thousands of pounds for our innovative employment programmes.

Putting the ‘fun’ in fundraising

50 participants gathered at the beautiful Sea Lanes on Saturday 21 September to challenge themselves and fundraise for our candidates. These amazing swimmers got stuck in and went the distance. From dipping a toe, to swimming 5km, we encouraged everyone to get involved!

Amongst the participants we saw Florence Garrett, the former women’s captain for Down Syndrome Swimming Great Britain and a candidate at Team Domenica. Florence swam at Great Lengths with her mum, Veronique, for the second year in a row. She smashed her target by swimming over 500 metres further than she planned.

She said: “It felt great to do Great Lengths again, it was a lot of fun. I’m so happy, I swam so much further than expected! I want to motivate other people to get in the water too.”

Joining Florence was Sam, a young man who – with the help of Team Domenica – recently gained employment at Brighton i360. He said: “Team Domenica is very nice and very friendly. I love having a job, it’s really cool.”

Great Lengths also saw teams of families and friends take the plunge. Of particular note were Edge Tea & Coffee who swam in honour of their colleague Michael, a Team Domenica graduate who sadly passed away earlier this year. You can support their fundraiser by clicking here, or follow this link to learn more about Michael’s story. Our thoughts are with Michael’s family and all who knew him, he is sorely missed.

Success at Great Lengths 2024

Great Lengths is Brighton & Hove’s only inclusive swimming event. We host this event to raise awareness, funds and support for our vital work. This year, our swimmers went the distance, come rain or shine brought the sunshine. They dove in, challenged themselves and celebrated their achievements in style. Greg van Heeswijk, the Director of Fundraising and Communications at Team Domenica, said:

Team Domenica had another fantastic year at Great Lengths 2024 with 50 participants raising funds to support our work. The atmosphere was amazing and it was wonderful seeing so many people complete their personal challenges – all with the same aim of supporting young people with learning disabilities to develop the skills confidence and independence they need to thrive inside and outside of the workplace.

Feeling Inspired?

Thank you to our wonderful community of swimmers Great Lengths wouldn’t be what it is without your support. If you’re feeling inspired by Greta Lengths 2024, why to see how else you can get involved by clicking the button below.