Swimmers dived in at Hinksey Pool to raise money for Oxford's poorest twin city.

Lord Mayor Susanna Pressel was among 30 people taking part in a sponsored swim which raised about £1,200 for a water education project in Leon, Nicaragua.

People aged from 10 to 75 joined the event on Monday, raising money for a project to teach children in the Central American country about the dangers of pollution in Lake Managua and Lake Nicaragua.

The charity also teaches children the importance of conserving water in a country where clean water is hard to come by.

Simon Marshall, from Oxford, swam 150 lengths, closely followed by Juliet Humphrey, of Wytham Street, who managed 130.

Ms Pressel swam 20 lengths of the pool and raised more than £200 for the charity.

Oxford Leon Link organiser Jane Mercer, who has organised the swims for the past 15 years, said: "It was a beautiful evening and everyone seemed to enjoy it.

"It would have been nice to have a few more swimmers there, but everyone who took part had a good time.

"Leon is a very poor city and they're desperate for money, so I know the charity will be very grateful for the funds we've raised."

Ms Pressel said: "It was a smashing occasion and I really enjoyed my swim.

"It was a lovely atmosphere and I know the money will be a great boost for the water project in Leon."

Oxford has been twinned with Leon - its only twin city in the developing world - since 1986. It is Nicaragua's second largest city after the capital, Managua.

Since the twinning, several delegations from Oxford have visited Leon including school and university students, with doctors from Leon spending time in Oxford to learn English in return