A COURAGEOUS swimmer has conquered the entirety of Loch Lomond to raise money for a local rescue service.

Nicky Graham, 48, has been swimming with the Inchbaggers Loch Lomond Island Swims group – a swim meet who enjoy open water swimming around the islands of Loch Lomond.

After taking in the beauty of the area, and reading about the Loch Lomond Rescue Boat’s efforts to help when four people drowned in the loch on a single tragic weekend last month, Nicky decided she wanted to raise money for the boat team.

She took to the water at the Duncan Mills Slipway in Balloch at 5.10am on Tuesday, August 10, determined to swim the length of it.

Nicky, from Edinburgh, told the Advertiser: “It was 26.1 miles if I swam straight, but I probably didn’t swim straight.

“I just always thought it would be amazing to do the whole thing as I’ve been swimming in open water for 12 years in Scotland and I thought it would be possible with training.

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“I really wanted to raise money for the rescue boat. After the recent tragedies it made me appreciate the job that they do.

“I thought it would be a beautiful swim, and I wanted to do something for them.

“My husband had to feed me from a bottle on a rope. I wasn’t allowed to touch the kayak or shore, it was a continuous swim.”

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Raising £1,787 for the LLRB, Nicky was met by campers and employees of the Ardlui Hotel as she came out of the water onto the rocks at her finish.

“We finished at 9.37pm,” she added. “I crawled out over the rocks and was met by campers who came down to see us and give me sponsorship money. I still don’t quite believe it.”

To donate to Nicola’s cause visit uk.virginmoneygiving.com/NicolaGraham2.