Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page. I’m raising money for this charity set up by my friends Lee and Sam - Evie’s Night Owls.

It’s going to take between 5-6 hours for me to complete the swim so please give generously to keep me going when things will undoubtedly get tough!

Evie's Night Owls was founded by Sam and Lee Bladon as a direct result of their personal experiences with their young daughter, Evie.

Due to oxygen deprivation at birth in 2012, Evie suffered severe brain damage and lived with multiple life-limiting illnesses, which resulted in the need for constant care. In addition to looking after Evie, Sam and Lee had two other very young children, and as a result, a peaceful night's sleep was very rare. For Sam and Lee, it took a 3-week stay in intensive care at St. Mary's Hospital to qualify for any publicly funded overnight respite care at home.

Although there was support for day respite care and limited hospice support, the necessary overnight respite was not provided. Sam and Lee wanted to change this reality for so many families so that they never have to experience the turmoil and suffering they did.

Through fundraising, they have funded around 7,000 hours of overnight respite care for families with children suffering from a life-limiting or terminal illness or condition requiring round-the-clock care.

In June 2023, Evie's Night Owls was established as an independent charity, enabling them to widen the families they can support. In 2018, Sam and Lee were awarded the prestigious Points of Light Award by then-Prime Minister Theresa May.

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. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.