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Club completes 24-hour sail for Children in Need

BBC Sailing boats on the lake, sails flag colours are red and cream as well as blue, yellow and red.BBC
The children will finish their sponsored sail on Saturday afternoon

Young people took to the water for a 24-hour "sailathon" to raise money for Children in Need.

Members at Salterns Sailing Club in Lymington, Hampshire, were hoping to raise £9,000 by sailing around Eight Acre Pond non-stop for a full day.

The club, which is run by children, has been holding the sponsored sail for 25 years and hopes to bring its running total of donations to £200,000 with this year's efforts.

Boats were launched at 16:30 GMT on Friday and the challenge ended on Saturday afternoon.

Sailing boats on the lake, sails flag colours are blue, yellow and red with the boathouse and parents in the background.
People sail in shifts across the 24-hour period

Eight Acre Pond is an old saltpan and Site of Special Scientific Interest.

It has shallow waters without tides, making it safer for children to learn to sail.

The club is run by young people aged under 16, who have invited all local schools to take part in the fundraiser.

Members, former members known as Old Salts, and friends of the sailing club also joined.

Before the event, Holly from the club's junior committee said the event would be "loads of fun as there is plenty of camaraderie among the team".

Club member Clodagh opted to take on the night shift, sailing in the early hours of Saturday morning.

"We aim to get through it by being in pairs and taking on half hour shifts each," she said.

"We will also take a lot of sweets and chocolate to get through it but hopefully we will stay warm and get enough sleep."

Children from nearby schools were due to take over later in the morning, with Olympic sailor Hannah Snellgrove joining to support the event.

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