Words by Smiley Team
A 60-year-old has committed to doing 60 wild swims to celebrate her 60th birthday, as well as fundraise for the hospice that cared for her mum at the end of her life.
Gaynor Bentley, from Codnor, Derbyshire, is nearing 50 swims – and has raised £725 to date. She’s raising money for Treetops Hospice – their 'Hospice at Home' nurses cared for Gaynor’s mum.
“I did my first outdoor swim while on holiday in Bala in Wales in 2020 with my daughter and loved it despite being quite nervous getting in,” explains Gaynor. “Afterwards, I sat talking about how I’d like to do some fundraising for my 60th and my daughter came up with the idea of 60 wild swims!”
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Gaynor says she’s not a very confident swimmer, so she had a few lessons and started swimming a couple of times a week in a outdoor pool to get used to the cold and build up stamina.
Once she was ready, she set on her 60 swims challenge, and so far has swam in the Rivelin Valley, in Sheffield, and Spring Lakes, in Nottingham.
“I’ve found it challenging – finding the time and places to swim – whilst working full time and caring for my dad,” explains Gaynor. “But it’s life - I still get nervous before I swim and prefer the safety of swimming at an organised swim in lakes rather than on my own in rivers (with my husband as support crew) and the sea.”
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Speaking about her fundraising, she continues: “I chose Treetops because they are a local charity who gave us night sitters when my mum was end of life to give me a break and get a good nights sleep once a week and it made a huge difference for me.
“My birthday was in April and I'm logging the swims on Instagram under 60swimsat60 - I'm a bit behind as my daughter hasn’t had much spare time to put them on but I’m up to 47 and have to have completed them by the end of the year!”
Treetops Hospice supports people with illnesses such as cancer, motor neurone disease and multiple sclerosis. It also supports their carers and families. All services are provided free of charge. The hospice has to raise more than £4.3 million every year to run. That’s about £12,000 per day. 70% of this comes from charitable donations and fundraising events.
Donate to Gaynor’s challenge here, or follow her swims on Instagram.
