County council staff based in Workington and Carlisle raised over £600 for the Chairman's Good Causes Appeal with a sponsored swim at Cockermouth Swimming Pool last Sunday (24 February).
Six staff from the council's Children's Services swam a total of 352 lengths between them - which worked out at around 11 miles in an hour - to raise a total of £641.27 in donations. The money was raised for the two charities chosen by this year's county council chairman, Alan Toole - The Eden Valley Hospice Jigsaw Appeal and The Stroke Association.
Councillor Toole was at the baths/pool to cheer the women on, and congratulate them at the end of the gruelling swim. He said:
“The total money raised at the end of the year will be divided between the two charities I have chosen. I have asked that the money for the Stroke Association be divided equally between the Stroke Association clubs in Cumbria, rather than sent to their central offices in Manchester as i feel it is only right that money raised by Cumbrian people remains in Cumbria.”
“I would like to applaud the six staff from Children's Services for deciding to do something to raise money for the worthwhile charities I have chosen. We raffled a donated bicycle at my Christmas Reception and have held collections at the council's Excellence Awards Ceremony and other corporate events, but so far this is the only team to organise a fundraising event of this sort. It is very kind of them and I thank them very much indeed.”
Amanda Coates, Development Worker the west of the county, who organised the event, said:
“I used to work as a nursery nurse at the children’s hospice so once I saw that the Chairman had chosen the hospice’s Jigsaw Appeal as one of his named charities, I felt compelled to organise a fundraising event for such a worthy cause.
“My colleagues and I have been swimming regularly to build up to the big day and it certainly paid off - we managed it with ten minutes to spare.
"One member of staff had to drop out at short notice, so I persuaded my friend Mandy to step in at the last minute, and she really enjoyed it.
"It was a group effort and we all did really well, thanks to our colleagues who counted the miles as we swam. We were also very grateful to the Chairman for coming and cheering us along and hope that money we have raised will help both the Jigsaw Appeal and the Stroke Association”