Rotary Swimarathon organiser Roger Graves has been named as the fourth local batonbearer in Grantham’s stage of the Birmingham 2022 Queen’s Baton Relay on 11 July.
Roger was nominated in recognition of his organisation of the Rotary Club of Grantham’s annual Swimarathon fund-raising event which he has led for 21 years.
He said: “I am really excited about being part of the baton relay. I remember the excitement when the Olympic torch came through Grantham and it was magical. This might be smaller scale but it’s still as important and great for Grantham and I will be taking my time on my relay section to make the most of it.
“Likewise, our Swimarathon is also great for Grantham and I feel privileged to play a part.
“In the first year in 1990 it raised £12,500. Since then we have raised around £950,000 for good causes and we even managed to beat Covid to stage the event in 2021.
“This year we are handing over around £30,000 to 33 different organisations. A huge number of local organisations field Swimarathon teams, including around 90% of local schools, and that makes it an amazing event to be involved with.”
Roger will join three other local runners carrying the baton in Grantham – cycling campaigner Roy Redman, cancer survivor Rachael Bradley and charity fund-raiser Hannah San Jose.
The relay, scheduled to start around 10.30am and starting and finishing in Wyndham Park, will take around half an hour to complete its 2.2 kilometre route.
Redcross Street, Castlegate and Avenue Road will be closed to traffic as part of the route, with the relay finishing along the Riverside Walk.
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