The planned 20-mile Light Fund charity swim around the Maltese islands, taking place next month, continues to draw more sponsorship and support from the UK licensing community.

This inaugural swim will be bolstered by sponsorship from Advanstar Communications UK, organizer of Brand Licensing Europe. The company has volunteered to sponsor the team base camp.

Meanwhile, Smiffy’s, a large independent manufacturer and distributor of party products, has stepped up to sponsor the team cruiser.

Each sponsor has pledged more than US$10,000 to the even that now known as The Brand Licensing Europe Show and Smiffy’s Maltese Islands Sponsored Swim for The Light Fund.

The new fundraising target is US$80,000 and organizers, including the swim team’s first member 4Kids International’s Stephen Gould, are hoping to reach their goal through individual donations and other fundraising efforts including an invitation-only dinner on May 6.

The Maltese Islands Swim will involve five days of swimming between May 17 and 23 in open water around the Maltese islands – Gozo, Comino and Malta.