Bathers swam for half an hour each during the 12 hour marathon that raised €2,500 in aid of St Patrick's 'launching pad' project aimed at preparing young boys in institutional care for life's challenges.

During the marathon participants swam for 30 minutes each between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. at the Living Well Health Club within the Hilton.

The ongoing project raised sufficient funds to renovate four rooms that are now being used by senior boys at St Patrick's School in Sliema, as a semi-independent unit. Works cost around €10,000.

Rotaract believes not enough is being done to help young people leaving institutional care at the age of 16 and since most of these youngsters cannot depend on family for support, they have to leave and fend for themselves.

The project is a result of co-operation between different groups of young people to help youngsters move smoothly out of institutional care, integrate with society and attempt to address the gap that exists in the system.

For more details about this project please go to the Main Project Section of our site

The Sunday Times, 23rd December 2007 Claudia Calleja

A specialised shoe with a custom brace, a thick sole, and the possibility of help from the Housing Authority are all likely to assist little Sven Mifsud, whose rare condition was highlighted by The Sunday Times last month.

In the meantime, over the past months, Rotaract has been organising events to collect money for Sven. During a function on Thursday, Rotaract president Steven Spiteri surprised Tracy when he asked her to stand up to present her with a donation of Lm857.