Raised: 72%
Target: £1,000.00
Raised so far: £721.00
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My story

 

Hi all,

First can I thank you all for taking the time to have a read of my Just Giving page.

Well, I did it! Thank you all so much for your support. We had a great day, a bit tiring mind you, but so worth it, take a look through the photo's to get an idea.

I swam the mile in 35mins & 30 secs, and that included an interview at the finish line & dodging the other 200 hundred swimmers out there!!  There were over 6,000 swimmers and I am rather pleased to tell you all that I came 130th in my age & gender group!! Not bad for a pensioner!!

Thank you all so much for your donations, we are so very close to having enough for the reclining chair, and for those of you that are still thinking about it.... go on £2, it wont hurt I promise. (well not as much as I will in the morning!!!)


Many many thanks to you all once again,

Ken.xx.


Update... Original target smashed... Thank you all so much for helping to raise enough money to keep Willowbrook running for ONE HOUR. As there are still a few days left before my swimathon I am raising my target. The nurses that work at Willowbrook have said that the thing they would like the most for the hospice users is an Electric reclining chair, these cost just over £1000!!!! Can we do it???? With your help, I am sure we can :)

Many, Many thanks to you all, Ken.xx

As many of you will know I have now worked my final shift after 30 glorious years working for 'Her Majesty' and it was decided that I should have something to occupy myself so, what better than The Great North Swim? I thought.... Well, it seemed like a good idea at the time!!!

The swim consists of me running into a cold and murky Lake Windermere on the 13th September along with thousands of other like-minded folk, and swimming a mile or so, taking care not to get squashed by the more competitive element! As you can tell from the rather fetching photograph, I am training hard and hope to be able to do away with the water wings soon!!

But seriously folk.... the real reason for this apparent loss of rational thought is that I really want to make a small difference to the work of a most fantastic hospice that a great friend of ours works at. Willowbrook is a wonderful hopspice that is based in St helens where it serves to help those with life threatening and terminal illnesses in need of specialist care and support at the most challenging time. The care and dedication of all those involved with the hospice is second to none. This is a vocation for the people involved here, not a job. (And for those of you who know about our Pets as Therapy dogs, Willowbrook also allows a most gorgeous P.A.T dog to visit, as everything that can be done for those at Willowbrook is done).

I am sure we all know of someone touched by a terminal illness or that has had need for palliative care. My dad is one that was helped by a palliative care team after being in a coma for nearly ten weeks. And for those of you  who remember Les, my brilliant brother-in-law, who sadly died in 2001 from a grade 4 brain tumour, how can we forget the fantastic care and support given to him, especially in his final weeks, from the palliative care team.

You will see that I have put a target of £250 on my page. Obviously I hope to smash this, especially as I believe the blue-green algae are out in force in Lake Windermere at the moment and likely to play havoc with my digestive tract should I swallow the water (if you get what I'm saying!) not to mention the great probability of my getting a touch of hypothermia, and at my age the arthritis is bound to play up!! (Actually, I have postponed a knee operation so I can do this swim, now that alone HAS to be worth an extra 50p!!) Oh yes, so back to my point........

DID YOU KNOW THAT..... Willowbrook hospice costs £2.3MILLION per year to keep running,

that is the same as .....£6000 PER DAY, which equates to...... £250 PER HOUR!! The P.C.T. give 1/3rd of the money which leaves the hospice having to find the other 2/3rds. In other words £4,000  PER DAY of charitable donations.

I know times are hard for everyone with the credit crunch, but PLEASE, PLEASE CAN YOU HELP ME RAISE MY £250 TARGET just to enable this small hospice to provide the fantastic support that it does for ONE MORE HOUR?? Any more than the £250 would of course be even more fantastic. And let's face it, surely the laugh you must all have had at the photo alone at the top of the page is worth a few quid!!!

I know I have rambled on a bit, but passion is like that:)

Thanks for reading, thanks (in advance) for giving. I shall keep you all updated,

Best Wishes, Ken (aka Skycop)!!

p.s. If you don't want to donate on line I do have a paper sponsor form also, just let me know & we can do it the 'old fashioned' way!!

 


 

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Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving 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.

So please dig deep and donate now.

Hi, Ken, I sold some stuff on ebay, so here's the profit towards your target! Donation by Carmel Waldron 02/10/09  

£30.00 + £8.46 Gift Aid

Well done Ken!!! Sorry it took us so long to get round to doing the deed at this end!!! Donation by Jenny Forshaw 16/09/09  

£20.00 + £5.64 Gift Aid

Good Luck with the swim - it's an excellent cause. You don't know me but lets just say Cath is very persuasive lol Donation by Tracey Waller 13/09/09  

£10.00 + £2.82 Gift Aid

You will get your money only if you let me vet who might be moving in next door to me .... Donation by Mike Craig 11/09/09  

£10.00 + £2.82 Gift Aid

Can I have first offer on the wetsuit if you dont make it.... Good Luck Ken...Regards AL Donation by Alan Neary 11/09/09  

£10.00 + £2.82 Gift Aid

Wet suits are for wimps. In my day it was wintergreen and an extra layer of flab!!!! Good luck. dorothy Donation by dorothy coackley 09/09/09  

£10.00 + £2.82 Gift Aid

This is conscience money as we will be in Italy and not on the banks of chilly Lake Windermere. Good luck Ken, we will be thinking of you ... brrr.x Donation by Catherine Andrews 09/09/09  

£15.00 + £4.23 Gift Aid

The very best of luck Donation by Liz Perkins and Finlay Scott 07/09/09  

£25.00 + £7.05 Gift Aid

Good Luck! Donation by Natalie, Nihat & Noah xxx 07/09/09  

£10.00 + £2.82 Gift Aid

Donation by Lesley Elcock 07/09/09  

£51.00 + £14.38 Gift Aid

Well done Ken - big admiration. No doubts you'll do it - just hope that 20 foot Pike that lurks in the depths is asleep that day!!! Donation by Nick Palmer 04/09/09  

£20.00 + £5.64 Gift Aid

Swim Daddy, Swim; Faster Daddy, Faster! The £10 below is from us too Daddy! Harry&Ben.xx Donation by Bernadette Lunt 03/09/09  

£2.00 + £0.56 Gift Aid

Donation by Bernadette Lunt 03/09/09  

£10.00 + £2.82 Gift Aid

Good luck Ken, can I join you on your swim? Love from Granny and Pop.x Donation by Catherine Andrews 03/09/09  

£10.00

Sporticus would be proud of you Donation by Charles Shepherd 02/09/09  

£50.00 + £14.10 Gift Aid

Donation by alison coackley 02/09/09  

£50.00 + £14.10 Gift Aid

Best wishes and good luck Donation by Tom Handley (Exchange Chambers) 01/09/09  

£100.00

You will stop at nothing!!!! Best of luck, Donation by All the Thorpes 31/08/09  

£10.00 + £2.82 Gift Aid

So, wearing your rubber suit again, eh...real men would be in lycra! Donation by Will, Julie and William 31/08/09  

£50.00 + £14.10 Gift Aid

Very best of luck, Ken. You'll be needing the therapy dog then? Donation by Carmel Waldron 30/08/09  

£20.00 + £5.64 Gift Aid

A great cause Ken. The best of good luck. Donation by margaret/myles fetherstone 29/08/09  

£15.00 + £4.23 Gift Aid

Best of Luck and keep cool!!! Donation by William Waldron (senior) 28/08/09  

£25.00 + £7.05 Gift Aid

Good Luck Ken! Do they have a rescue boat on Windermere?!! Love - Brenda and Joe xx Donation by Brenda and Joe 28/08/09  

£10.00

Good Luck Ken, from ALL the PETS AS THERPAY Volunteers and PAT Dogs, Wirral Merseyside Branch Donation by Eileen Slattery 28/08/09  

£10.00 + £2.82 Gift Aid

Good Luck with the swim Ken. A very worthy cause. Love the flippers!! Donation by Sue Hughes 27/08/09  

£10.00 + £2.82 Gift Aid

Brrrr!!! Hope it's not as cold as it was during your training swim in July... some hope!! Donation by Bernadette Lunt 26/08/09  

£25.00 + £7.05 Gift Aid

It's a brilliant cause and it's worth the cash just for that photo!! Good luck Ken, hope we'll be there to watch. Love Cath, Mike and Nero the dog.xx Donation by Catherine Andrews 26/08/09  

£50.00 + £14.10 Gift Aid
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* Total raised online: £658.00
  Offline donations: £63.00
  Gift Aid plus supplement: £151.74

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