Hornchurch blogger prepares for Isle of Wight swim to raise money for spinal cord charity
Hornchurch resident Lucy Edwards is set to swim three miles to the Isle of Wight on September 2 to raise money for Aspire. Photo: Aspire - Credit: Archant
A blogger who only learnt to swim four years ago is getting ready to take on one of the biggest challenges of her life – swimming to the Isle of Wight.
Hornchurch resident Lucy Edwards is set to swim three miles to the Isle of Wight on September 2 to raise money for Aspire. Photo: Aspire - Credit: Archant
On September 2, Lucy Edwards, of Hornchurch, is swimming three miles across the Solent to raise money for Aspire, one of the UK’s leading spinal injury charities.
A keen blogger who runs the Paddle Pedal Pace blog online about her experiences as a triathalon runner, Lucy is not ashamed to admit that the prospect of the challenge “slightly terrifies” her.
She said: “I’m really excited by the challenge of doing a point-to-point sea swim, it’s not quite as daunting as swimming the English Channel, but still will be a fantastic achievement.
“In triathlon, I enjoy the swim the most so I wanted to push myself with a stand-alone swimming event. Not many people can say they have swum to the Isle of Wight, so it’s something a bit different!”
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And for Lucy, it’s been an even more impressive journey, as she only learnt to swim in June 2013.
She said: “I swim two to three times a week in the pool and now that the lakes have reopened I’m back to swimming outdoors.”
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She aims to raise more than £1,000 for Aspire. The money will go towards assistive technology to allow someone with a high level injury to use a computer without the use of their hands.
Any money left over will go into a fund to help pay for two sets of adjustable furniture raisers to ensure that beds and chairs are set at the correct level for someone with a spinal injury and two Aspire independent living advisers.
These healthcare specialists spend time in a spinal injury centre offering one-to-one advice and support to newly injured patients.
Brian Carlin, Aspire CEO, added: “We are delighted that Lucy has decided to support Aspire by taking on the amazing challenge of swimming across the Solent.
“Every eight hours someone is paralysed by a spinal cord injury and our fantastic fundraisers help us to provide support to those affected, from injury to independence.”
To support Lucy and donate to the cause, visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/lucys-solent-swim
