Story
Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page! I imagine if you know me you’re possibly thinking OK, what’s this about, and has she lost all sense of reason?
I really am going to swim a mile in Lake Windermere, the UK's largest lake, at 4.30pm on 12/09/09 to raise money for the RNLI as part of the Great North Swim (GNS). The GNS is the only UK event of its kind and on its debut last year attracted over 2500 swimmers. Most people i've told think i'm slightly bonkers to want to swim a whole mile without stopping in non- chlorinated freezing water that i can't see the bottom of with potentially dodgy things in it including the Cumbrian equivalent to the Loch Ness Monster, with no separate lanes and lots of people splashing and kicking around me, compared to the lovely perfectly clean heated pool & jacuzzi i'm used to at the Lancaster House Hotel....and when i went there recently for Jane’s wedding, i did think, OK they may have a point!!!!! However, armed with my new winter wet-suit & cap I will brave all this for the challenge and the following reasons: (OK serious bit now, why I need your cash)
1) The RNLI’s crews and lifeguards rescue people and save lives at sea- 8141 launches a day, 306 lives saved, 7834 people rescued- average of 21 a day That includes: · People like you and I faffing around on summer holiday as kids/big kids in the sea on a boat or dingy (52%) · People just faffing ie not using any kind of craft (28%) · People on the sea working for a living (12%) and other seas users (8%). 2) The RNLI is independent from Government and continues to rely on voluntary contributions and legacies for its income and cost £123.8M to run in 2007. If you’re of a certain age you might know lots about the RNLI thanks to Blue Peter appeals, but there’s lots more info if you click on the link to your left. About Just Giving Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity. PS I know that money is tight for everyone at the moment but please dig deep and donate anything you can, I figured I knew lots of wonderful generous people so I promised the RNLI you would! PPS The GNS will be part of “Great Swim”, a new series of mass participation televised events and has already become world renowned, having been voted 5th in the Top 100 Open Water Swims in the world (and me;) ) apparently according to my pack Mark Foster is looking forward to seeing me there! Come along or see if you can watch it on TV!