THOUSANDS of swimmers, of all ages and abilities, took to the Lake District to take part in the UK’s biggest open-water swimming event.

The John West Great North Swim, now in its 12th year, was held at Brockhole, near Windermere.

Open water enthusiasts, aged from eight to over 80, were able to complete a range of challenges from the beginner 250m wave all the way through to the gruelling 10km marathon swim.

For the third year running, the event also featured the increasingly popular SwimRun, an off road, open-water, island hopping adventure.

More than 380 people were signed up to take part across the short, middle and endurance distances.

Alex Jackson, director of the Great Swim Series, said: “We want to say a big well done to all our swimmers, who braved some choppy and challenging conditions to complete their own personal Great North Swim challenges over the weekend.

“We’d also like to say a huge thanks to our safety team, lifeguards and local volunteers, as well as our partners at Brockhole who helped us deliver such a successful event.”

A number of swimmers taking part completed the challenge for charity.

Around 40 people took part in the event to fundraise for Teenage Cancer Trust North West.

This year the event also celebrated swimmers defying stereotypes with the ‘Unexpectedly Great’ Campaign.

Swimmers in the Great North Swim have been challenging expectations since the very first event in 2008.

The appeal stresses that swimmer have shown that “no matter what their body shape, level of fitness, whether or not they live with a disability or their age, you can complete a challenge in the open water”.

Among the group of dedicated athletes was Great Swim ambassador Sylvia Mac, a childhood burns survivor who endured third and fourth degree burns across her body as a result of an accident when she was just three.

To take part in 2020 visit greatswim.org/north.