The organiser of a south Essex open water swimming group have made a splash after winning a prize for teamwork at a London event.

Hadleigh Plungers Open Water Swimmers claimed the Team Trophy at the Dock2Dock swimming event at the Royal Albert Docks in London on Saturday.

The team of 30 swimmers, which included many who had never competed in open water events, took part in races ranging from 1.5km to 15km – with every single person taking part completing their race.

(Image: Hadleigh Plungers)

Catherine Sutcliffe, 59, from Hadleigh, a group organiser for the swimmers, said all those taking part had really enjoyed themselves and there were celebrations all around.

She said: “The teams we take on just keep getting bigger, we encourage our members to step outside their comfort zone and come with us.

“We hand our members plungers when their event, we are getting quite well-known for our plungers and our loud support.

(Image: Hadleigh Plungers)

“I think everyone enjoyed the action, obviously it can be very daunting, especially if it’s your first time.

“Having a team with you can make it a lot more enjoyable and pleasurable. Getting an award was really exciting, Dock2Dock have not done a team award before.

“They have seen the support we give each other and how we work together, and now we’ve won a team award.”

(Image: Hadleigh Plungers)

She said many of her swimmers took on the 3km challenge, while a young lad tackled a 1km swim, some took on a 5km swim – while two others took on a 10km and 15km swim respectively.

She said it was “wonderful” to see people enjoy the day and “step up” and do something they would not usually.

Ms Sutcliffe said the group are always looking for new members and said they would welcome new recruits with open arms.

“Come along, have a look. It’s a beautiful venue at Hadleigh Country Park. Come up, say hello and have a chat. We can tell you about the group,” she added.

The Hadleigh Plungers welcome swimmers of all abilities to join their weekly swims at Hadleigh County Park on Wednesday from 17.30 to 19.30, and Saturday from 07:30-09:30 am.

Sessions cost just £7, with an annual NOWCA membership required at £15.