A BLYTH man and his fundraising champion mam are urging people across the region to take the plunge and sign up for the Swimathon Festival 2021.
Endurance swimmer Steve Proud, 49, swam the English Channel in August 2019 as part of his bucket list and raised nearly £7,000 for Cancer Research UK.
He was inspired by his mam Carol Proud, 75, who has been raising money for the charity for the last 31 years as part of the Blyth Cancer Research UK Fundraising Committee.
Steve competed in swimming from the age of seven despite a rocky start to his love of water.
The dad of two said: “My dad took me for my first swim in the sea at Blyth beach and I hated it. I just screamed. But he started taking me to the swimming baths to try get me used to the water and in the end I loved it so much I started competing from a young age, but stopped when I went to college.”
Carol said: “He would go training early morning before school and then back again after. It was really all he did. His dad even started coaching swimming as he was at the pool so much with him.”
Despite not swimming or competing for a long time the swimming bug stuck and Steve picked the hobby back up when he was in his 30s and started taking part in triathlons and endurance events like Ironman.
He then set his sights on swimming the English Channel and spent 18 months and around one million metres in training to build up his strength until the big day and the 21 mile swim.
Steve, who is a an engineer and works for Scottish Power on the wind turbines, said: “It took 11 hours and 37 minutes to swim solo from Samphire Hoe near Dover to Fort Cap Gris Nez just west of Calais. It’s a really busy shipping lane so it took a lot of planning. Even though my dad in the support boat said I came quite close to some ships and a seal joined me for some of the route, but once I was in the water I never saw a thing.”
Carol, who joined the Blyth committee as something to do with friends when her two sons were teenagers, added: “It was no surprise that he wanted to take on this challenge, but it was terrifying when he was actually doing it. We’re incredibly proud of him.”
The first person to swim the English Channel was Captain Matthew Webb in 1875, on the same day that Steve completed his swim, and it is still a challenge too far for many, with only around 2000 successful solo swims.
After a challenging year for many swimmers who’ve missed out during the pandemic, Steve is now using his experience to encourage others to take on their own challenge and make a splash by taking part in the world’s largest annual swimming fundraiser for these two much-loved causes.
Organisers are set to celebrate a festival of swimming from 10-12 September with the Swimathon and Open Water Swimathon events taking place on the same weekend for the first time at pools and venues across the North East and the UK.
People can participate individually or as part of a team. And if swimmers can’t make one of the organised sessions, they can sign up to MySwimathon, which takes place from 3-19 September, and choose a time and venue that suits them.
Steve, who lives in Whitley Bay, said: “My swimming challenge was massive, but you don’t need to be a super swimmer to take part in this. The Swimathon Festival offers a variety of distances for all ages and abilities. Swimathon is a fun and simple way to encourage people to dip their toe in the water and get swimming – all while supporting two incredible charities. It really doesn’t matter if you’re not the fittest or the fastest. I hope swimmers young and old, new and experienced will dive in and help thousands of families across the UK.”
Swimathon has raised more than £55m for charities since it began in 1986. This year will also see the Swimathon Foundation donate £2.50 from every entry fee to help protect Swimathon pools and venues for the future, following the impact of the pandemic.
Not only will taking part help to raise money, it has mental and physical health benefits too. Moderate exercise such as swimming can help build stamina, burn calories and keep a healthy body weight, which reduces the risk of a range of diseases including cancer. Swimming regularly is also gentle on the joints, can lower stress levels, reduce anxiety and depression, and improve sleep patterns.
Carol is hoping people will be able to give fundraising a boost especially as the Blyth Committee celebrates its 60th year this year and having reached an incredible £500,000 milestone for Cancer Research UK.
Carol said: “Much of what we do on the committee has stopped over the last 18 months due to COVID. The pie and pea nights we’d put on at local care homes have stopped and we’ve relied on donations from funeral homes and greetings cards to keep the funds up. Hopefully we will start to get things going again soon as Cancer Research UK needs the funds more than ever.”
Lisa Millett, Cancer Research UK spokesperson for the North East, said: “The Swimathon Festival offers a challenge for all open water or pool swimmers whether they’re early divers or evening dippers, fast lane speedsters or leisurely lappers – from 400m, up to a Triple 5k, and a new 30.9k option.
“There are lots of great benefits to taking part, not least the chance to enjoy the water while raising money for causes which are close to the hearts of so many.
“So, we hope everyone will sign up now to help us keep making transformative steps in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer. One in two of us will get cancer in our lifetime*. All of us can support the research that will beat it.”
Mark Winton, Head of Community Fundraising at Marie Curie, said: “We’re so excited that pools have re-opened and people can once again take the plunge and make a splash while helping raise vital donations for Marie Curie. At Marie Curie, we rely on the support of the amazing public to ensure our nurses can keep caring for people at the end of their lives and that grieving people in the UK can get the care and support they need. Every penny raised helps us make a difference to the end of life care people in the UK receive.”
Sign up to the Swimathon Festival 2021 at swimathon.org.