About

Tugboats & Dolphins began in 2020 as a simple group chat centred around cold-water swimming. What started with sea dips quickly evolved into a passion for bigger challenges, pushing us inland to the winter waters of Dartmoor. From this, our first organised event was born—breaking the ice and swimming laps of Crazywell Pool to raise £5,000 for Devon Mind.

Over the past five years, Tugboats & Dolphins has grown from a small group of friends swimming in a remote Dartmoor pool into a community-led organisation delivering large-scale events. This journey culminated in the launch of Summer Sports Fest at Cattewater Harbour on Plymouth’s Barbican. The festival welcomed over 100 swimmers to the water and hosted the South West Strongman Competition, alongside live music, games, and outstanding local food—creating a truly unforgettable day for participants and spectators alike.

As our swimming challenges grew, so did our ambition on land. We developed a passion for exploring the UK’s national parks, taking on demanding endurance challenges that often involve weighted hikes of up to 35 miles and elevation gains equivalent to half the height of Mount Everest in a single day. These team-building expeditions have taken us across Dartmoor, Snowdonia, the Cairngorms, the Yorkshire Dales, the Peak District, and beyond. In August 2025, we pushed our limits further than ever before by summiting Mont Blanc (4,810m)—one of the toughest challenges we have undertaken to date.

In 2024, we introduced a new concept: luxury charity fight nights. Designed as premium black-tie events, guests enjoy a welcome drink, a two-course meal, live local music, and an evening of high-quality combat sport. While our early events featured multiple disciplines, by late 2025 we refined our focus to white-collar boxing. Each event sees 24 complete novices undertake 10 weeks of structured training before stepping into the ring to fight for charity. These shows consistently sell out and have become one of our most effective fundraising platforms.

A key part of this success is the support of local businesses, with over 90% of fighter fees covered through sponsorship. Recognising this, we redesigned our sponsorship packages to ensure partners receive meaningful brand exposure across multiple platforms, as well as a strong in-person presence at our events.

At the heart of everything we do is a commitment to pushing boundaries—both physically and financially—to maximise our impact.

As of December 2025, Tugboats & Dolphins has raised over £65,000 for registered charities in Plymouth. Our mission is simple: to strengthen our community by giving back. None of this would be possible without the continued support of our sponsors, partners, and participants—thank you.

If you are a local business or charity and would like to collaborate with us, we would love to hear from you.