A dedicated Newcastle volunteer has raised more than £600 for a maritime charity after completing a challenging one-mile open water swim in Lake Windermere.
Angela Carrington, Regional Volunteer Officer for the Maritime Volunteer Service (MVS), spent six months training for the Great North Swim before successfully taking on the 1.6km challenge in the cold waters of England’s largest lake.
Angela, who describes herself as a “fairly average swimmer”, undertook countless hours of training to prepare for the event.
She said: “This has taken a lot of dedication and a little specialist coaching to be able to swim one mile unaided in open water, that’s around 65 lengths of a swimming pool.
“Swimming 1.6km in cold, choppy waters seemed impossible in January, but after a lot of practice, and a lot of lake and sea water accidentally consumed, I felt confident enough to take on the challenge.”
The swim held special significance for Angela, who has been a member of the Maritime Volunteer Service for 15 years.
She explained: ” I’d like to think that all of the training can do some good by fundraising for a cause very close to my heart.”
The £600 raised will go directly to the Northumbria Unit of the Maritime Volunteer Service, which receives no government funding and relies heavily on donations and fundraising efforts to continue its work across the North East’s rivers, waterways and coastline.
Based at St Peter’s Marina on the River Tyne, MVS Northumbria operates across a vast area stretching from the River Tees in the south to the River Tweed on the Scottish border. The volunteer-led unit supports a wide range of community, maritime and water safety activities throughout the region.
The unit currently operates two vessels – a 4.5-metre rigid inflatable boat (RHIB) and a Colvic Northerner patrol boat – which are used for training, community events, environmental projects and operational support tasks.
Angela said: “I joined the local unit of the Maritime Volunteer Service 15 years ago.
Rising costs including insurance, vessel maintenance, berthing fees and fuel are squeezing every penny we have out of our unit coffers. Even a small donation can help us to train people in maritime skills that we then put to good use in our community.”
The funds raised will help purchase essential equipment and support operational activities.
The Maritime Volunteer Service supports communities throughout the UK through maritime training, water safety initiatives, environmental projects and operational support activities.
Ends
Photo: Angela at the end of the swim (The Bigger Picture Agency)