Arctic One

Arctic One believe that sport should be accessible to everyone and in 2012 they launched their ‘Forward Motion’ Grant system. Through their grant system they aim to provide individuals, clubs and groups the opportunity to get involved in sport and have supported people from Novices to Paralympians in 28 different Para Sports. The charity started with nothing and is run entirely by volunteers. To date they have now handed out over £200,000 in grants and also part fund their annual Triathlon, Para Tri Festival and Junior Para Tri, which is now in its 9th year!

Why I am fundraising for them -

In 2011 I was in a cycling accident, and I sustained a badly sprained ankle, unfortunately this developed into the condition Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (https://crps-uk.org/about/). I was also diagnosed with Fibromyalgia and mild Hyper-mobility. As a result of these conditions, I have ended up using a wheelchair almost full time because walking is painful and exhausting for me.

After my accident I spent several years not doing any sport and it ended up taking me 5 years to start getting back into it. I wanted to try and get into Para-Triathlon but didn’t have any equipment to help me and I needed a Racing wheelchair and a Hand-bike. I found an athletics club who lent me a racing wheelchair, but it didn’t fit me properly and it was painful for me to use. So, I decided to fundraise so that I could get my own custom racing wheelchair and receiving a Forward Motion grant from Arctic One helped me to achieve my fundraising goal and get my own race chair. Once I had my own chair, my confidence grew, and I started getting back into swimming and then into Open Water swimming too. The more running and swimming events I did the more confidence I gained and the more I realised that my disability doesn’t define me, it’s the way I deal with my disabilities and how I use my abilities that define me.

On Wednesday 1st September 2021 I am taking on the huge challenge of swimming the length of Lake Windermere TWO way in aid of Arctic One - that’s around 22 miles, which is about the same distance as if I swam the English Channel solo! This is a huge challenge for anyone but on top of the huge physical and mental challenges anyone attempting the swim may have, my disabilities create extra issues for me. These are just some of the added issues due to my disabilities:

⁃ I am unable to kick my legs meaning that the entire swim I will only be using my upper body!

⁃ I suffer with hypersensitivity, which means that anything touching my legs hurts and increases my pain levels so wearing a wetsuit can be incredibly painful and wearing it for a long period of time causes intense burning pains.

⁃ Fibromyalgia causes my muscles to fatigue easily, and they can make my body feel heavy and exhausting to move.

⁃ A Flare-up, I never know when I am going to have a flare up but when I do everything hurts more and is more sensitive. No matter what my pain levels are I will still have to swim.

⁃ Hypermobility means I am more prone to injuries

Over the past 5 years I have done things that I never thought would be possible as a disabled person so 10 years after my accident I wanted to do something to fundraise for a charity that has helped me so much.

This year Arctic One have given me another grant to go towards training and equipment for my swimming, this includes a brand new Orca Wetsuit, a Dryrobe and prescription goggles, so without them this swim wouldn't be happening. I hope that I will be able to fundraise enough money to allow Arctic One to help at least one other person with a disability get into sport in the hope it will improve their confidence and quality of life in the same way the grants have helped me.

Due to the charity being run by volunteers it means that all the money I raise from this event will go directly into the Forward Motion Grant system and it will all go to helping others pursue their sport. You can find out more about the charity and their work on their website - https://arctic1.co.uk/