The crew of the Runswick Bay Rescue Boat congratulate Tom at the end of the swim

A YORKSHIRE businessman swam seven miles in the North Sea to raise funds for an independent lifeboat on the North Yorkshire coast.

Tom Bottomley, a director at Farsley-based financial services insurance firm MMS, trained for a year to complete the solo open water swim, raising £4,000 towards the annual running costs of the Runswick Bay Rescue Boat in North Yorkshire.

Mr Bottomley, who is one of several volunteer helmsmen who crew the privately funded lifeboat, swam from the sands of Runswick Bay around the coast to Whitby.

He said: “Living part time in the village for some years I became involved with the Rescue Boat in 2007. 

“The lifeboat crew react to incidents on the coast in and around the bay, which is visited by thousands of people each year, and as the RNLI boats must travel from either Whitby or Staithes, we can reach people in distress much quicker.

“The swim went really well on the day, achieving my best case expectation of just over three hours.”

Donations can still be made at www.justgiving.com/runswicktowhitby.

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