The third Swim for Tom took place on Sunday 29 June 2025 - a swimathon in which 181 swimmers and around 50 volunteers took part, with a total distance swam of 14,403 lengths or 360km - the equivalent of swimming from Monmouth to just north of Gretna. Swimmers of all abilities took part, swimming between 10 lengths and 148 lengths in an hour, with around 50 volunteers who counted lengths, helped with the registration desk, sold raffle tickets, staffed the café and baked cakes. A special mention goes to two two swimmers who swam for three hours and covered over 400 lengths (10km) each. The main event took place in Monmouth, hosted by the Haberdashers' Monmouth School sports centre, and we also had swimmers who took part in Edinburgh, Hathersage and France. We had a special visit from Stripe the Dragon from Cancer Research Wales! At the end of the swimathon we had raised just over £4,000.

If you weren't able to take part, or you would like to sponsor a swimmer or just make a donation, you can do so on this page, with the funds raised going to the Tom Walker fund at Cancer Research Wales.

The Swim for Tom and the Tom Walker fund are in memory of Tom Walker, who was a quiet, considerate and caring boy from Devauden, Monmouthshire. On Friday 23 March 2018 Tom and his father, Tim, took part in the first Brecon Beacons Night Hike, raising £700 for Cancer Research Wales. Tom found it hard but he carried on with lots of encouragement, despite being the youngest participant on the hike.

Sadly, Tom fell ill on Monday 28 May 2018, and after just over two weeks of illness with a range of conditions, he was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia on Wednesday 13 June. His condition rapidly worsened while he was having an operation on Thursday 14 June to prepare him for chemotherapy, and he died after returning to intensive care that afternoon. He was aged 13.

Following Tom's death, his parents, Tim and Debbie, sisters Holly and Emily, and the amazing community in the Monmouth area have tirelessly raised money for the Tom Walker fund at Cancer Research Wales to pay for research in his memory including the first Swim for Tom in January 2019. The first researcher started work in January 2021 at Cardiff University, researching into a potential treatment for acute myeloid leukaemia and the money raised has also contributed to two projects researching brain cancer, which has affected one of Tom's friends.