STAFF at a leisure centre have announced a revised total of money raised following a 24-hour swimathon held in tribute to John Atkinson, who was killed in the Manchester attacks.

After the initial target of raising £1000 from the event, organisers at Radcliffe Leisure Centre announced soon after that more than £2000 had been raised in total.

Now, after with more help from staff and customers, along with an outpouring of support from businesses in the area, the total raised has now reached £4000.

Lee Caunce, duty manager at Radcliffe Leisure Centre, said: “We here at the leisure centre are thrilled to announce that following the 24-hour swimathon we have now been able to reach a staggering £4000.

“We initially set ourselves what we thought would be a challenging target of £1000 however, with the unbelievable support of the team here at Radcliffe Leisure Centre, local business and the community in general we have been able to substantially surpass our target.”

Members and non-members of the leisure centre all did their bit by volunteering hours of their time and being sponsored to take part in the fundraiser.

John Atkinson, who was a support worker looking after people with autism and Asperger’s was described by his family as their “life and soul”.

The 28-year-old was a member and regular visitor to Radcliffe Leisure Centre and was well liked by everyone who knew him, according to Lee.

He said: “When we all heard that the centre had lost one of its own who was known by all the staff and members we decided to carry out a continuous swim to raise funds for everybody affected.”

As well as the swim, other activities were on hand including a bouncy castle, a cake and refreshment stall, and a raffle with donated prizes from local businesses.

All of proceeds raised will be sent to the We Love Manchester Emergency Fund.

Lee added: “We hope this money can go some way to helping those who have been affected by the attacks on our city.”

For more information or to donate to the fund, visit www.welovemcrcharity.org/