My name is Jane McMenemy and along with two friends, Emma McCluskey and Meg Maitland, (Team 3 Little Fish,) we intend to swim the length of Lake Windermere on Saturday 29th June this year. We are not doing this in relays, we are all making the supreme effort to complete the mammoth 10.5 miles (12 mile swimming route) each.

With the help of our coach Muriel Campbell (my lovely mother) we are all in a tough 7 month training plan  to get our bodies fit enough to endure this swim.I have also hired a water rower for the 4 months for aerobic and muscle work. Along with the fitness we also need to be used to the cold water, so alot of getting in and out of the sea to climatise our bodies as Lake Windermere's water temperature is very similar to the sea.

Along with a support group of family and friends both on water (rowing )and on shore, we estimate it will take around 7 -8  hours continious swimming to accomplish the full length of the lake. Also we are getting good advice and help from Thomas Noblett (let us use his hotel and facilities for our testing dook in May) who runs his hotel on the Lake and has completed this swim several times and shares the passion of open water swimming. I must thank Teri Clarke (East Lothian Chiropractic) for the work she has and continues to do on my back which has enabled me to be flexible and strong enough to take on this challenge, my back was in a bit of a state when I first visited her and would never of been able to have put myself forward for this without her professional help. To my lovely husband Scott McMenemy who has had to put up with me talking, living, breathing swimming for these past 7 months and being behind me on this the whole way, a great support. To my rowers Ewan (step dad) and Stewart (dad) for guiding me the whole way along the lake and rowing of course! A huge thanks go out to my fabulous Uncle Ian and Helen who live in the lakes and have put alot of time and effort into  sourcing and organising the 3 rowing boats and rescue boat which they have very kindly paid for as their donation towards the swim and also worked out all the routing for lake. Thank you to everybody who is helping/attending this swim, it means so much to us.

We all love sea swimming in the waters around North Berwick and we have completed the Craig swim 2 miles and Bass Rock, 3 miles. It is our love of swimming indoor but mainly outdoors and desire to make a difference that led to our taking on this challenge and raising for our chosen charities.

The Charity I am supporting and raising for is Mental Health Foundation. We are all affected in some level at somepoint in our lives by Mental Health Issues, MHF (Mental Health Foundation) works hard in campaigning to raise awareness and to remove the stigma attached to mental health issues, to provide high quality advice and information to help people manage their mental health and wellbeing and to practise and improve policy in mental health thoughout the UK

The reason I am doing this swim for this particular charity is in memory of a friend whom i was fond of, who sadly died earlier last year,his name was Russell Freer he was only 29, yes 29, such a young age, was a terrible shock for those who knew and loved him. Although he was young  he exprienced alot of rewarding but disturbing things serving for his country in the Army. He really was a top bloke as they say, a big strapping lad, someone who i looked up to (literally) , was always there for his input and rough around the edges advice but a very caring soul, a gentle giant. Russell  suffered with Mental Health Issues, but like so many people struggled to overcome the invisible barrier that mental health brings.  He was very fit, loved to exercise, no challenge was too big for him, so I am taking a leaf out of his book and taking on this challenge, I want to raise as much money as possible for this worthy charity so it might help other people struggling to deal with issues in their lives.

Rest In Peace My Friend X

 

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