A group of Croydon activists have swam more than 1100 laps of a pool to raise money for refugees.

The event, which was organised by Amnesty International’s Croydon group saw about 15 people swim the distance between Turkey and Lesbos in an effort to help the thousands of refugees who are forced to make the life-threatening journey across the Aegean Sea in search of safety.

Harriet Trefusis, a member of the Croydon group, said: “We did this for a great cause.

"It was an ambitious challenge for us, though of course it is nothing compared with the challenges faced by refugees literally swimming for their lives.”

People swam anything from a single length, to 200 during the two hour event and raised £1 for every lap completed.