Golspie family's year-long wild swim challenge ends with £10k raised for the Sandpiper Trust
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A FUNDRAISING family have completed a gruelling. year-long challenge, raising £10,305 for the Sandpiper Trust.
Patrick and Henrietta Marriott and their daughter Alice, of Littleferry, were all involved in the fundraiser which comprised swimming at least 50m outdoors in Sutherland with no wetsuits every month during 2021.
While Patrick and Alice were the ones who took to the water, Henrietta, an advanced nurse practitioner, provided administrative and moral support - including tea cake and blankets - along with medical cover.
Henrietta is one of less than a dozen BASICS responders in Sutherland and has been equipped by the Trust, which provides rural clinicians with emergency, life-saving equipment.
The challenge, which was initiated by Alice, began and ended in January 2021 and 2022 at Loch Fleet - it was extended into 2022 as Alice had Covid in October 2021 and was unable to swim that month. Father and daughter have swum in the open sea and in lochs throughout the county.
Alice names her most difficult swim as the one off Golspie beach in February when there was a bad swell. The swim she enjoyed most was in the Kyle of Sutherland in July.
She said: “I would like to thank my mum who is the person that goes out on all the 999 BASICS calls and that definitely trumps a bit of cold water swimming! I would also like to thank Jonathan Brett-Young who has been our most loyal supporter and with us for every swim.”
She added: “I would like to make it clear that we always made sure where we were swimming was safe and checked if there were any currents.”
Patrick said: “We have been completely blown away by people’s generosity.”
He added that the amount raised was enough to equip three emergency responders with a fully stocked medical bag, defibrillator, oxygen and medication as well as a high-vis protective jacket, boots and a helmet.
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