Level Water – Bantham Swoosh

Level Water – Bantham Swoosh

At South Coast Traffic Management, we take pride in delivering professional, reliable traffic management solutions for complex and high-profile events. In July, we had the privilege of collaborating with Level Water, a valued client, to support a large-scale open-water swimming event at Bantham. Our role was to ensure the safe implementation of a road closure and diversion, allowing the event to run smoothly while maintaining access and safety for local residents, visitors, and emergency services.

Event Overview

On 12th and 13th July, Bantham played host to a major open-water swimming event that brought together swimmers, volunteers, and spectators for an unforgettable weekend on the South Devon coast.

Across two days, more than 1,200 swimmers took part in challenging and scenic river and estuary swims, all in support of a fantastic cause. On Saturday, 800 swimmers gathered in Aveton Gifford before being “Swooshed” down the river to Bantham Beach. On Sunday, 400 swimmers arrived directly at Bantham, crossing the sand dunes and swimming the crystal-clear waters of the Aune Estuary before being “Boomeranged” back to the start line.

The event benefited from excellent weather throughout, with sunshine from the moment the first volunteer arrived on site through to the final swimmer collecting their hot chocolate at the finish.

The fundraising total from the weekend reached an outstanding £245,000 (to date) — the equivalent of more than 16,000 swimming lessons for children with disabilities across the UK.

The Challenge

The Challenge
The event required careful traffic planning and control to ensure the safe movement of participants, volunteers, spectators, and local traffic. Narrow rural roads, increased visitor numbers, and multiple swim start and finish locations meant that effective traffic management was essential to minimise disruption and maintain safety.

Our Role

Our Role
South Coast Traffic Management was responsible for delivering the traffic management operation across both days, including:

  • Road closures and clearly signed diversion routes
  • Deployment of trained on-site traffic management operatives
  • Maintaining access for residents, event staff, and emergency services
  • Supporting safe pedestrian movement around key event locations

All arrangements were delivered in close coordination with Level Water and event organisers to ensure full compliance and clear communication throughout.

The Outcome

Despite high attendance levels and increased traffic volumes, the event was delivered safely and successfully. Our proactive planning, clear signage, and professional on-site presence helped ensure minimal disruption to the local area while allowing the event to run as planned.

Conclusion

We are proud to have supported Level Water for the second year running and to have contributed to the success of such a meaningful fundraising event.