THE Lundy swimmers, Steve Maclure and Gary Readman, have paid tribute to the original Lundy swim, and the men who attempted it, with a commemorative cup.

The pair, from Poundstock, swam more than 16 miles from Hartland Point to Lundy Island in September, raising over £8,000 for three causes in Bude.

This was just the second swim of its kind to be documented, with the first taking place in 1952 and undertaken by Barnstaple man, Cyril Webber, and an Egyptian man, Captain Hassan Abdel Rahim, who was lodging with Cyril at the time.

Due to seasickness, Cyril was unable to finish the swim, but his partner, Captain Rahim, successfully reached Lundy Island, winning a prize of £250 and making Steve and Gary ‘in awe’ of the original swimmers.

Cyril and Captain Rahim are ‘heroes’ to today’s Lundy swimmers, Steve and Gary, who were mesmerised by their ability to swim such a length, tackling the famous ‘Hartland race’ along the way, with no wetsuits or technology to see them through safely.

Therefore, Steve and Gary were keen to commemorate the 1952 swim with a cup — named the ‘Cyril Webber Cup’.

Before this took place, there was rumour that Lorna Doone Cider Vintage Ltd, from Langport, Somerset, had a cup made to present to Captain Rahim in 1952 when he completed the Lundy swim.

However, after much research, Gary and Steve came to the conclusion that the cup was nowhere to be found, or, perhaps, didn’t exist in the first place.

On Tuesday, September 26, Gary and Steve travelled to Clovelly, where they met with the son of the man who first envisioned the almighty Hartland to Lundy swim, John Webber, as well as Clovelly owner, John Rous. There, they held a cup presentation and ‘housing’ ceremony, with a decision being made to keep the cup in the Red Lion.

The cup, created by the Trophy Shop in Bude, has the names of Captain Rahim, Gary Readman and Steve Maclure engraved into it, with room for the names of future Lundy swimmers. The cup is to recognise Cyril’s attempt and Captain Rahim’s completion of the swim.

Although there is room for more names on the cup, Steve and Gary have stressed that lots of preparation and training is required before taking on such a challenge.

Although they hope they have inspired others, they discourage people to presume that the Lundy swim is something people can just dive into, without going through lengthy planning and training beforehand.

Steve said: “We hope our swim has inspired people to challenge themselves in their own way, whether it be learning a new skill, running further than ever, giving up smoking or simply learning to swim.”

Speaking about the cup, he added: “This cup is in recognition of the 1952 swimmers. Although Gary’s and my name are on it, with Captain Rahim as having completed it and it is called the Cyril Webber Cup — as a tribute to his attempt, which was aborted due to him getting seasick whilst the captain carried on and succeeded — it is more a gesture of recognition to the original swim.”

The cup will reside in the Red Lion at Clovelly, marking the first ever Lundy swim for generations to admire.

Steve and Gary are happy to deliver talks to schools or clubs in the area, in the hope of inspiring both children and adults to realise that they can do things that they might not have thought they could. The pair are free ‘on and off’ until December 10, and then from April 2018 onwards.

Although they have raised £8,260, the fundraising page is still open for people to donate to the three causes — Ben Bennett, Corey Alway and Bude Rugby Club Minis and Juniors.

To find out more information about the Lundy Swim, visit www.facebook.com/thelundyswim