Great North Swim

The Great North Swim is the UK’s largest open water swimming event, set in the stunning surroundings of Lake Windermere in the Lake District.

The one mile swim is a rewarding and achievable challenge for swimmers of all abilities, with excellent safety support and event organisation.

Register for a CLEFT charity place

CLEFT has five charity places available for the Great North Swim.

To secure your place, you will be asked to pay a registration fee and commit to raising a minimum fundraising target to support CLEFT’s work.

Why swim for CLEFT?

By swimming for CLEFT, you will be helping to improve the treatment and long-term care of children born with cleft lip and palate.

CLEFT supports specialist cleft centres in low-resource countries by providing equipment, training and long-term partnership, as well as funding research and clinical care in the UK.

What you will receive

A guaranteed CLEFT charity place
Fundraising pack and support
Support from Team CLEFT before the event

Take on the challenge

Join Team CLEFT at Lake Windermere and swim for children who need access to specialist cleft care.

Book a place
Ticket	Quantity	Price
Great North Swim - 1 mile	Decrease Enter quantity Increase	£50.00

Book

Event details

Where

Lake Windemere

View map

When

Start: 12^th June, 2026 at 9:30am

End: 12^th June, 2026 at 12:00pm

Add to calendar

Latest

Javid's 10k Fundraising Run

My son Elvin was born with a cleft lip in 2024. But thanks to the NHS, we got world class care and the result was unrecognisable. Sometimes we remember the fact that he used to have a cleft and we miss his huge carefree cleft smile. But unfortunately not every child has access to the same professional support. It is Elvin's 2nd birthday this week, so I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to run 10k fundraising for CLEFT - to help other children across the world, bridging the gap.
LF1 Cleft Charity

We are raising money with the LF1 division of the Cleft Charity at Charles University, Prague, to support sustainable, long-term improvements in cleft care. Through fundraising and awareness initiatives at LF1, we aim to contribute to the main UK Cleft Charity’s mission of improving access to cleft treatment, multidisciplinary care, and support services for patients and families both in the UK and internationally.
London Marathon 2027

1.33 million people applied for the London Marathon 2027. For the first time ever CLEFT has a guaranteed place. We are looking for someone incredible to run the London Marathon for CLEFT. Could that person be you?
Sarah’s 10K for Cleft UK

I am raising money to provide long-term, sustainable ways to improve cleft care both in the UK and overseas.

10k for 10k - London Queen Elizabeth Park

Join Team CLEFT in London this May and take on a 10k challenge to help improve cleft care worldwide. Registration fee: £30 Minimum fundraising target: £500 Limited to 5 charity places
Oxford Half Marathon

Run the Oxford Half Marathon for CLEFT with Run for Charity and help support children born with cleft lip and palate worldwide.
Dublin Half Marathon

Run the Dublin Half Marathon for CLEFT with realbuzz and secure your guaranteed place by meeting a minimum fundraising target to support children born with cleft lip and palate worldwide.
Cardiff Half Marathon

Run the Cardiff Half Marathon for CLEFT with Run for Charity and secure your guaranteed place by meeting a minimum fundraising target to support children born with cleft lip and palate worldwide.
Royal Parks Half Marathon

Run through four of London’s Royal Parks with Team CLEFT and support children born with cleft lip and palate worldwide.
10k for 10k - Manchester

Join Team CLEFT in Manchester this May and take on a 10k challenge to help improve cleft care worldwide. Registration fee: £50 Minimum fundraising target: £500 Limited to 5 charity places
10k for 10k - Bristol

Join Team CLEFT in Bristol this May and take on a 10k challenge to help improve cleft care worldwide. Registration fee: £50 Minimum fundraising target: £500 Limited to 5 charity places
10k for 10k - Birmingham

Join Team CLEFT in Birmingham this May and take on a 10k challenge to help improve cleft care worldwide. Registration fee: £50 Minimum fundraising target: £500 Limited to 5 charity places

Donate to CLEFT

You can make a one-off donation today or sign up to giving a regular monthly gift. All donations, small or large, will help us to improve the lives of those born with cleft lip and palate both now and in the future.
National Institute of Burns and Plastic Surgery

We are working with Bangladeshi specialists at the new National Institute of Burns and Plastic Surgery to create a sustainable centre to treat children with cleft lip and palate.
Our mission

CLEFT was established in 2007 with one aim, to help improve the lives of children born with cleft lip and palate, either by funding research into the likely causes of the condition or by helping support teams in lower and middle income countries.
Nawrin and the C-Arm

This important piece of equipment was supplied by CLEFT and is used to see moving images of the cleft palate. Nawrin is a 13 year old girl who was experiencing speech difficulties and needed the C-Arm to show the cleft team if further surgery was required.
About us

CLEFT was established in 2007 by cleft surgeon Brian Sommerlad - based at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, together with a former patient and a patient's grandmother.
The genetics of cleft lip and palate

Investigations into the genetics of cleft lip and palate to understand more about why cleft lip and palate occurs.
Brian Sommerlad, Consultant Plastic Surgeon and Chair of Trustees

For over 40 years, I have been involved in operating on babies, children and adults who have been born with cleft lip and/or palate.
Our research vision

At CLEFT, our vision is of a future where clefts are preventable. Until we get there, we want to improve the lives of those born with cleft lip and palate.
Trusts and Foundations

Today, 1-in-700 babies in the UK are born with a cleft lip and palate, the most common form of birth defect. The impact on a child’s life as they grow is profound. Typically, they will need at least four operations. They may also require ongoing tests, treatment or therapy. It will affect the way they look but also their speech, hearing and dental development. It can leave deep psychological scars.
Privacy Policy

PRIVACY POLICY

Register for a CLEFT charity place

Why swim for CLEFT?

What you will receive

Take on the challenge

Book a place

Great North Swim - 1 mile