A TEAM of swimmers took on the open water of Lake Windermere raising more than £1,000 for The Rob Stephenson Trust.

The group of 10 were among 10,000 swimmers from across the country entered in the 2017 Great North Swim.

Sam Stephenson, Rob’s older brother, was the fastest with a time of 36 minutes, but everyone completed it cheered on by a crowd of 50 team supporters.

James Machin, one of the swimmers, said: “The choppy water made it also most impossible to get into your stride and I am sure I have brought most the lake back to Yorkshire with me.”

Robert Stephenson, of Pickering, was just 21 when he was hit by a car and died during a night out in York in March last year.

The Newcastle University student was a keen sportsman and played rugby for the Malton and Norton Rugby Club and cricket with Thornton-le-Dale.

Following his death, Rob’s parents Patrick and Nicki and elder brother Sam set up the Rob Stephenson Trust to raise funds to help young people participate in sport.

For more information, go to robstephensontrust.com