Some 24 teams have already signed up to take part in the Devizes Lions annual Swimarathon this Saturday.

Town mayor Pete Smith will set the watery fundraisers going in the swimming pool at Devizes leisure centre at 4pm.

The youngest swimmers, some still at primary school, include members of the 1st Devizes Brownies and 3rd Devizes Cubs while, at the other end of the scale, two groups have swimmers in their 80s fundraising for the Devizes branch of Alzheimer’s Support.

Newcomers this year include the Toxic Moonies from Marlborough, supporting the NSPCC, and a group from Devizes School kick-starting their Kenya 2012 campaign to live and work in an African community for a month.

Tickets are now on sale for Devizes Lions’ next fundraising event, their Spring Serenade, at the Corn Exchange on Saturday, March 19.