We think a big congratulations is in order to Jess Sutcliffe, a holiday park worker who spent a year training to brave the chilly waters of Windermere and raise a cool £1700.
Jess, who says she could only previously manage the length of a swimming pool, completed a full mile of the lake to raise her four-figure sum for Parkinson’s UK. Jess was taking part in the Great North Swim in Cumbria, where she lives and works in Ambleside as a customer liaison manager at Skelwith Fold caravan park.
The cheque was officially presented at the park this week to Joanne Dobbie, the regional fundraiser for Parkinson’s UK which has branches and support groups throughout Cumbria.
Jess decided to enter the Great North Swim after Skelwith Fold played host last year to many entrants and supporters taking part in the event:
“It was just such a fantastic atmosphere here that I got caught up in the enthusiasm and told everyone I would give it a crack, despite never having tackled anything similar before,” said Jess.
Having completed the equivalent of 64 swimming pool lengths during her mile-long swim, Jess says she will be continuing her fundraising on dry land for the foreseeable future.
More information about Jesss charity can be found at www.parkinsons.org.uk.