£47,000 donated to good causes by Swans of Wells

Cheques for the £47,000 raised by the Swans of Wells have been handed out to good causes.

Twenty-one local groups made successful bids for grants ranging from £5,000 to £260.

Swans of Wells director, Danny Unwin, said: "This has been the culmination of a year's hard work and it's very satisfying to be able to see the money go to so many good causes.

"It just shows what a fantastic event we've had. It's really been a win-win situation.

"The swans have caused a rise in general interest in Wells and we've had in excess of 10,000 people visiting. It was good for local commerce and industry.

"It was excellent to be able to help local organisations.

"If you're a mathematician and you work out how many swans there were and what was raised you see that each one raised £2,000 just by sitting there.

"Being able to give to these good causes gave me, personally, a real feel good factor.

"I want to thank so many people and businesses that gave their time for free.

"I also want to thank my family who were very supportive. My wife was a swan widow for a while."