Buoyed up by the buzz around cold water swimming, Finn and Gavin started taking a weekly dip in the sea at Portobello last October and immediately found that it had amazing benefits, especially for boosting their mental well-being.
Inspired by the sense of achievement they felt, they challenged themselves to swim outside every day for a month.
And as if that wasn’t tough enough, they chose the middle of winter to do it – defying the icy temperatures rather than being distracted by mince pies and Christmas parties!
To entice others to take on the challenge too, Finn and Gavin promised to donate £10 for every person who joined them – and through this generosity, and donations from their supporters, they managed to raise an incredible £2000 for children and families in hospital.
- Finn
“The most difficult swim for me was while I was staying with my parents in the Highlands – it was cold enough for the local Loch to freeze over so I had to spend several minutes trying to break a hole in the ice just to get in. That was a whole new level of cold!
“Gavin and I have both kept up the swimming through January and plan to continue this year – although it’s definitely a relief not to have to do it every day!”
Are you keen to push yourself out of your comfort zone and raise funds for seriously ill children in hospital while you’re at it? We welcome all fundraising ideas – the bolder the better! Click below to get in touch. We would love to help make your creative challenge a reality.