This year I'm going to be doing two endurance swims for the spinal cord injury charity Aspire. In July I'll be donning my wetsuit for the one mile Great Swim in Victoria Dock, London and in August I will be taking the plunge into the Llyn Gwynant lake in Snowdonia, Wales and swimming three miles.
This is an important charity to me. In 1996 I was paralysed after an accident whilst sledging. I was in hospital for six months whilst recovering from my injuries and have used a wheelchair ever since. You might be surprised to know that although my story is personal to me I am not unique as around 1,200 people become paralysed each year.
Like me those who become paralysed will lose muscle and sensory control and the vast majority become full time wheelchair users for the rest of their lives. Historically, the majority of spinal cord injuries have, like me, been sustained by those aged 15 to 40, with men outnumbering women, although increasingly it is affecting more older people too.
Aspire offers invaluable practical support to the 40,000 people living with a spinal cord injury in the UK so that they can lead fulfilled and independent lives in their homes, with their families, in work-places and leisure time.
You can read more about the superb work they do here www.aspire.org.uk.
Over the coming months I will be giving training updates and progress on my preperation on my blog www.rockupandroll.com.
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.
