Tilly and Maili's chilly challenge for St Oswald's Hospice

Katy Flynn from Consett is mum to two daughters, Tilly, 8 and Maili, 6. They live in Consett by the River Tyne and it was this local landmark that inspired the girls to take on a challenge to raise funds for the hospice.

Katy, who works as a Purchasing Manager at St Oswald’s told us:

The girls said they wanted to do something to raise money as St Oswald’s cared for one of their favourite school teacher’s sons. They also think it’s the best place I have ever worked! They set themselves the challenge of swimming in the river every day for 30 days and are covering between 100m to 230m each swim, depending on the conditions.

As I swim in the river regularly, I know this area very well. The girls are used to swimming outdoors and always have their tow floats to keep them safe.  I am careful to monitor the temperature of the water to gauge how long they can stay in.

Talking about their challenge, Tilly said:

I am definitely enjoying it, but it’s sometimes quite tough when my suit and boots are still wet and cold! The first few days we swam were windy and it’s been cold – 8.5 degrees in the water – but we are getting used to it!

It’s worth it though, because we have already raised £205 and are not far off hitting our target.

Maili added:

I want to do this because Hospices need more money to buy safety equipment to keep taking care of people

Katy finished:

A family friend from Cornwall was so inspired by the girl’s efforts that they are doing a similar fundraiser for their local hospice too. It’s great to raise the awareness of the need to support hospices during these times.

Tilly and Maili’s JustGiving page can be found here.