I am taking on a cold water swimming challenge to raise funds for our charity Christmas celebrations for the families living with HIV that we support. I will be completing 10 cold water swims, aiming at one a week leading up to the party on the second week in December. As the weeks go by and the temperature drops this will get more challenging! I will complete my swims either in the sea at Folkestone or at West Reservoir Centre in Hackney.
Updating on my progress to date, I've completed 7/10 swims and it's definitely getting progressively colder and more of a challenge getting in! I've never swum this late in the season. My most recent swim on 25 Nov was cold but a bright sunny day, and I was thankful some other brave people were in the sea! I've enjoyed three swims in Folkestone, my favourite place to swim, three in West Reservoir in Hackney (overcoming my fear to get into the lake) and a swim at Deal with a friend Tanja, when we braved the big waves together. I've a couple of catch up swims to achieve due to ill-health. However, I did a few swims outdoors at London Fields Lido until I was well enough to head back in the true cold water.
Any funds raised will go towards the gifts, activity and food costs of the Christmas events which are fast approaching, one for teens and a family party for those with 0-12s. We'd love to be able to provide a wrapped gift under the tree chosen for each child. There is always excitement as Santa arrives to give out the gifts under the tree at the end of the party. If we can raise enough we’d love to make some Christmas hampers for parents to take home, as many of our families are already experiencing financial hardship, and are more anxious about finances with the cost of living going up and worried about having enough food. Last year our families thanked us for going ahead with the party, and how important it was for them to be able to come together and celebrate after a difficult year. Thank you for the support.
