CHARITABLE funding raised by the Crondall Triathlon last year has been used to purchase five potentially life-saving defibrillators for local villages: Crondall, Ewshot, Crookham Village, South Warnborough and Long Sutton.

“The event raised £8,500 in 2016, helping us to achieve our aim of purchasing these vitally important pieces of equipment,” said Julian Badgery, landlord of The Plume of Feathers pub in Crondall, where one of the defibrillators is located.

“We were also able to distribute a further funding to local charities and organisations,” he added.

The Crondall Triathlon involves a 400-metre swim at Lord Wandsworth College in Long Sutton, followed by a 20-km (12-mile) bike ride through local villages and rolling countryside, and ends in Crondall with a five-km (three-mile) run around the village.

The annual event first took place in 2004 and has become a popular social fixture in the calendar for locals and visitors to the village. Over the past 13 years the triathlon has raised and distributed over £125,000 into the community.

“The Crondall Triathlon is huge fun,” said local resident Roger Withers, who has participated in the triathlon every year since 2004.

“The course provides a challenge for the experienced triathlete looking to set personal bests, but it also gives novices the opportunity to participate and get their first taste of the sport while helping to raise money for good causes,” he added.

This year’s Crondall Triathlon will be held on Sunday, June 4. Applications and full details of the event are available from the website www.crondall-triathlon.co.uk.