I came across Paddles Disability Swimming as a result of one of my daughters. A keen swimmer with tons of ability we were looking to find a club where she could develop, enjoy herself and feel part of something. We could not believe our fortune when we found Paddles and its inspirational leader Anna Lavan.

Occasionally in life you meet people who simply blow you away and Anna is one such person. She has been involved in swimming for 40 years, from teaching to coaching, tutoring to swimming development. Anna runs Paddles and has been instrumental in writing books on working with the disabled swimmer in water. Apart from her phenomenal experience and professional expertise, it is her utter dedication and love for her work that shines through in everything that she does. If there was ever someone who never ceases to give and to help others it is Anna. As a small business Anna will always struggle with money and finding the funds to buy the equipment needed for disability swimmers. As a result of my experiences of Paddles I wanted to help by raising some funds to enable the club to buy and invest in new equipment or whatever else it needs to enable the children she teaches to have an even more positive experience.

To do this myself and two friends, Matt Nicholson and Jonathan Smith are planning to cycle the length of Wales from coast to coast. Starting at the seaside in Bangor and finishing on the coast in Cardiff, we hope to enjoy, rather than endure what is considered to be one of the toughest bike rides in the UK. We are not completely insane and plan on achieving this feat in three days rather than one or two. In our quest we will be supported by the a superstar, otherwise known as Dave Wagstaff. Dave will help provide logistical support and help fix our bikes if and when they break.

Beginning on Monday 20th May 2019 and finishing on Wednesday 23rd May 2019, we hope to raise as much money as we can to support Anna and Paddles in their wonderful work.

Please give as generously as you can.