This weekend I will be swimming the Scilly Swim Challenge - a 14km swim over 2 days between various of the Scilly Isles (the archipelago 28 miles off of the coast of Cornwall). I will be doing this with my 2 friends, Tim Platt and Matt Denham, who introduced me to open water swimming during the Lockdown. For those who don't swim, 14 km is a long way and I approach next weekend with a fair degree of trepidation!

In the final summer before Lockdown, the guest speaker at my daughter's speech day was Mark Ormrod. Mark was a Royal Marine, who at the age of 23 stepped on an IED whilst on patrol in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. He lost both legs above the knee and one of his arms, but became the first British serviceman in Afghanistan to survive a triple amputation. Yet on speech day, he walked up to the stage unassisted to speak to us and give out the prizes. He has, since his rehabilitation, achieved many great things. It was apparent from his story that there were two things that got him back walking - the first being his Royal Marine no-surrender mindset and the second being the help that he received from others. One of those organisations was Blesma, the limbless veteran's charity.
https://blesma.org/

I am seeking sponsorship in support of my swimming challenge for Blesma. I am a fervent believer in the Armed Forces Covenant (that those who serve or who have served in the armed forces, and their families, should be treated with fairness and respect in the communities, economy and society they serve with their lives). By supporting a charity such as Blesma, we can in small part show our support to those who have made such a great sacrifice on our behalves.

If you can and wish to support me next weekend by making a donation, I would be most grateful.

Thank you

Ben