PENDLE residents can get in the swim with a year-long borough-wide event to mark the 50th anniversary of The Samaritans.

Pendle Leisure Trust has organised a long distance swim which anyone can take part in at any of the borough's pools.

This year's challenge has three milestones of 50m, 1,250m and 50 miles, which equate to two, 50 and 3,200 lengths in each of the borough's pools.

The swim is open to swimmers of all ages and can be completed in as many or as few sessions as is necessary for each individual participant.

Everyone who wants to take part will be given a progress card to record the distance swum on the day of their first visit. They will then be able to fill in the progress card each time they complete more of the distance they are hoping to complete.

On top of that, those taking part will also be given a sponsor form to raise money for charity with every length they swim.

And because the full distance of the challenge can be completed at any of the borough's swimming pools, those taking part can vary the pool they swim at as well as the distance per session.

Organisers hope that people taking part will have fun as well as keeping fit and flexible through having an extra incentive to exercise.

People who take part have almost a year -- until December 23 -- to complete the distance of the swim.

Several swimming groups, including the over-50s group at Pendle Wavelengths, will be taking part in the challenge.