They say you don’t know what you’ve got until its gone. I never realised how true that was until I received a phone call to say that my sister had died.  She was 36. It shook me to the core. Even to this day, I am left with ‘what ifs’ and ‘if onlys’… they replay constantly in my mind. 

Swimming became the only place where I could find peace. I cried a lot and I shouted underwater where no one could see or hear me. But mostly, I just talked to her - long conversations where we would plan the most amazing adventures and replay all the silly things we used to do when we were kids. 

Raising money for the British Heart Foundation in Heather’s memory has become such an important part of my life. After swimming the English Channel with Hayley in 2017 it took some time for me to decide what my next challenge should be and i set my sights firmly on the length of Loch Ness. I love the cold water and this was going to fit the bill perfectly! I attempted this swim in August 2021 and was pulled from the water after injuring myself. I had only been swimming for 6 hours.
I was absolutely distraught but i vowed immediately that i would be back. I re-booked the swim the next day for August 2023, and here we are!

I completed some amazing swims in 2022 with my partner in crime, Hayley. I love swimming with her, making new memories and celebrating Heather and the awesome trio that is Aitch Sea Jays.

The 2022 swims included a triple back to back of Windermere, Ullswater and Coniston and a two way Windermere. Just for good measure I also completed a 24 hour solo swim earlier this year. All of these swims were perfect training for Loch Ness.

I can’t change history and nothing I do will bring Heather back but if I can raise some much needed money for the British Heart Foundation in Heather’s memory, I know how proud she will be. That alone makes me so happy.

Pariter.In Aeternum.Quocumque