THE sister of the swimmer who went missing in the River Mersey has paid tribute to her “incredible brother” by taking part in a competitive sailing race.
Haydn Griffiths' body was found five days after he was reported missing following an ill-fated attempt to swim to the wind turbines in Liverpool Bay.
Haydn, from Lowton, was reported missing on the hottest day of the year (Tuesday, July 19, 2022) after he went missing in the River Mersey off Wallasey beach.
The 24-year-old had arrived at Bay View Drive in Wallasey at around 6.50pm after a woman he was on a first date with had driven them both there.
At around 9.30pm, the woman said Haydn told her he was suffering from cramp and tiredness and “could not swim anymore”.
READ > Friends to run 52 miles from Leeds to Leigh after nephew's brain tumour diagnosis
She encouraged him to keep swimming, but he was too fatigued. The woman then swam for another hour to get help from shore.
At 7.50pm on Saturday, July 24, Haydn’s body was found near the Marina in Crosby by the coastguard.
On Sunday (April 2) Haydn’s sister, Megan Griffiths, took part in The Haydn Griffiths RNLI Trophy Day at Leigh and Lowton Sailing Club in a tribute to her brother who she described as an “incredible athlete”.
In a post, Megan said: “The Haydn Griffiths RNLI Trophy Day yesterday at Leigh and Lowton Sailing Club was a beautiful tribute to our incredible brother and a great day of competitive racing and fundraising for the RNLI bringing family and friends together on a beautiful, sunny day.
“I plucked up the courage to prep and race Haydn’s Laser sailing dinghy (I came 24th overall after three races).
“Haydn was an incredible athlete, also on the British National Squad for sailing. This will now be an annual event and we are so grateful to LLSC for dedicating the first race of the new season to Haydn and to raising funds for the charity that helped during the search for him and who found his shell. We are forever grateful.”
The sailing event was open to non-members who took part in three races starting from midday. All proceeds raised in memory of Haydn were donated to the RNLI.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here