Going the
Nikki Swims the English Channel and Raises £6,325
By Claire Stuart-Paulin
For the Ayrshire Hospice
Our wonderful supporters have taken on many incredible physical challenges over the years, but to the best of our knowledge, no one has ever swum the English Channel for us - until now.
..with special guest hosts
A spectacular fundraising
Ayrshire Hospice. I really hope I made my Gran proud. I had the best day, even if the outcome wasn’t what I hoped for, and I can’t wait to give it another go. When life gets you down, just keep swimming!” A huge thank you to Nikki Young, her family, and her support team. The final total raised was an incredible £6,325, and we are extremely proud of Nikki’s achievement.
Nikki Young’s inspiration for this remarkable challenge was her Gran Green, who sadly passed away from cancer in 2022. It was her Gran who introduced her to swimming, and she continued to swim even in her final weeks of life. The love, commitment, and passion her Gran had for swimming left a positive and lasting influence on Nikki, and she felt it was only fitting to attempt the Channel swim in her Gran’s memory. After many months of training and preparation, Nikki was ready to face the challenge on Saturday, 29th June. With her family and support team behind her, she set off at first light, beginning the 22-mile open- water swim. Unfortunately, the currents were not in her favour, pushing her off course. After swimming an incredible 33 miles, the decision
was made to abort the swim just 2 miles off the coast of France. Although she didn’t reach the shores of France, in our eyes, she more than completed the challenge. We caught up with Nikki after she had a chance to recover and asked her about the highlights of her journey. She said a fond memory was her mum telling her to “just keep swimming” before she set off. Another was seeing her sister and the boat crew dancing the slosh to keep her motivated. She also chuckles when recalling how she accidentally hit the Channel Swimming Association official with a cup full of food and finds it amusing watching video footage of herself ‘racing’ the P&O ferry to France. It was quite an adventure! Nikki said: “I am so overwhelmed with the support and the amount we managed to raise for the
9th February 2025 The Gaiety Theatre 7:30pm Gaiety Box Office 01292 288235 www.thegaiety.co.uk
with a twist...
A Western twist By Claire Stuart-Paulin When Anne and Willie Gilbert were discussing how to commemorate their 30th wedding anniversary back in August, they decided to turn their celebrations into a charity fundraiser – and raised over £4,000 for the Ayrshire Hospice .
Living on a farm, a Western theme was top choice, and soon the barn clear out was well underway. Anne was blown away by the generosity of local businesses when she was gathering prizes and secured some top-notch donations for the raffle. Friends and family embraced the theme with a wide variety of Western costumes and a hootin’ tootin’ evening was had by all. Anne, who has been fundraising and volunteering for the Hospice for many years, was overjoyed by the amount raised. She popped by the fundraising office with a donation of £4,108.00, along with her daughter, Ellis, and a few friends who had helped with the event.
We want to learn more about how you feel about making or updating Wills and leaving a gift in your Will to charity.
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Scan the QR code, go to https://bit.ly/404R7uE, or contact the fundraising office on 01292 288 488 to request a paper version of the survey.
November 2024 | EDITION 38
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