Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page. OK, I'd like to explain what it is I have done. Between the dates of 1st and 14th August 2011, I intended to swim (in pools) the equivalent distance of a marathon, i.e. 26.2 miles or an average of just under 2 miles per day. (In actual fact I succeeded in 12 days averaging just over 2 miles per day). This was in order to raise money for Albert Kennedy Trust, a charity close to my heart which supports lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans homeless young people in crisis. They operate in London and Manchester and more detail of their fantastic work is available on their website at www.akt.org.uk
By way of background to my personal motivations, I had for some time been interested in the idea of running (yes, I said running!) a marathon or similar for charity. I had recently been incredibly inspired by the valiant efforts of my brother, who successfully completed the 2011 London Marathon in aid of the National Autistic Society. However, due to an inherent weakness in my left knee caused by problems in my early teens, I've been medically advised that any effort to replicate his success would not be sensible for me. Instead, I knew I'd have to do something with swimming.
I had seen other charity swimming events such as the 12-week Channel Swim in pools and the 5 km Swimathon but, having seen the incredible feat of human endurance that was the London Marathon with my own eyes this year, I didn't think these were sufficiently stretching for someone who swims fairly regularly for general exercise. I wanted to do something which would push me to my limit (and then some) in order that people would see it as a real challenge. I set myself the challenge of having to swim for around 20 hours over the course of the 14 days, whilst still going to work etc. Hopefully then, people would recognise that I was doing something which I know will push me to my absolute limits in aid of a very worthwhile cause, prompting them to dig deep and give to AKT in order that they can continue their important and valuable work.
As a gay man, I have been incredibly fortunate to have a hugely supportive network of family and friends. Coming out in my late teens was a hugely stressful experience but thanks to the amazing love and support from my parents, family, partner and friends, I can say that I am better for it. Not all young LGBT folks are so lucky though and can be rejected by their own families and end up with nowhere to live. This is just one of the many problems that AKT helps people through by providing accommodation and support to those in need. So please help me to help them by donating on this page.
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.
Finally, for the Facebook users amongst you, I set up a public page which has updates on progress, including photos and a video diary at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Going-the-distance-for-AKT/180566688662504
Many thanks and much love,
Paul
