Just Keep Swimming

Monday, 11 July 2011

Day 37

I did 80 this morning. Planned to do 100 but I seem to be getting slower and had to dash for a train.

I went to London today to meet my Abi-friend. She's now over to visit for a few days so I shan't be swimming.

She also sponsored me so I've raised over £1000! Thank you :-)

Sunday, 10 July 2011

Day 36

So I did manage a swim after all today. 60 lengths. It's a bonus :-)
Thank you to the Banks family who gave me their change jar :-)

Saturday, 9 July 2011

Day 35

Ermm... so I forgot to swim today. I was meaning to, but the pool closed at 5 and I only noticed the time at 4:40. Opps!!

I'm also having tomorrow off as I'm working the whole time the pool is open.

Friday, 8 July 2011

Days 33 & 34

There's not that much to talk about which is why I'm not blogging every day at the moment. I'm trying to calm down the fundraising a little now and concentrate on the swimming.

I finished work late yesterday and so didn't get to the pool until 9:40, but managed to do 30 lengths, which is better than nothing. I did 100 today as well, so it's all good :-)

I sent Carli and Ursie to the Bombers yesterday while I was at work to sell some brownies. I opened up the collecting tin today and there was £18.10 in there, so thank you to Carli and Ursie and thank you to all of the Bury Bombers :-)

I also brought home the collecting tin at the Rose and Crown. There was £27.45 in there. So thank you to everyone :-)

So, this means that I have actually broken my target this time!! It's fantastic and I'm really pleased. I'm also only £40 away from the grand-mark, so I'm really pleased :-)

Please will you sponsor me if you haven't already? You can do it online at http://www.justgiving.com/Alex-McCourt1 or by texting LEXY91 £5 to 70070.

You can also support me by watching the youtube video which Ursie and I made (with help from the Bombers again). It's my entry for the JustTextGiving competition, and the video with the most views on the 23rd July wins a £500 donation, so it is a way of supporting me without spending money. Please watch it as much as you can without getting sick of it and share it with your friends. Thank you :-)

2760 down, 5446 to go

Thursday, 7 July 2011

Day 32

So this is the blog for yesterday, but by the time I got home, the internet had been turned off, so I am writing it this morning.

I have a few pieces of news today. Firstly, I passed my first year at university and can now go on to my second!! I'm really chuffed.

Secondly, out video entry for the justtextgiving competition is done and up on Youtube. You can watch it here. If my video gets the most views by July 23rd then I win a £500 donation for TAG, so please share this with everyone!

Thank you to the Bury Bombers for participating, Jill their coach for letting me hijack a session and Ursie for filming.

This video doesn't show quite how fab the bombers actually are, so once the competition is over, Ursie and I shall be making a longer video with all their impressive bits :-)

I did 80 lengths last night and boy did it hurt. I got in right after Staff Training, where we'd had to tread water for like a week non-stop, and then we had to swim about a mile underwater. Tough stuff.

2630 down, 6576 to go.

Tuesday, 5 July 2011

Days 30 and 31

So I'm not being as good as I used to be with keeping this up to date. I promise I'll get better.

I did 80 yesterday. My shoulders were hurting because of the wheelchair basketball, but apart from that, it was good.

Did 100 today. Could have done more, but Luke, Christian and I decided to do time-trials (they're bad influences on me!)

Thank you to Luke for carrying my change jar into town today. It's been deposited in my bank and I shal be writing a cheque this evening.

I'm also going to be filming my advert for the justtextgiving competition tonight. Watch out as I'll post the finished product on here as soon as it's done :-)

2550 down, 6656 to go.

Monday, 4 July 2011

Embarrassing confession time

So I miscounted the donations. I'm actually £12 away from my target. Please will you sponsor me? You can do it at http://www.justgiving.com/Alex-McCourt1, or by texting LEXY91 £10 to 70070.

Sunday, 3 July 2011

Days 28 and 29

No swimming this weekend. The pool was closed today and I was at the Bury Bombers Basketball Marathon all weekend. It was lots of fun and I sold lots of brownies (which involved making some at 1am this morning!)

I'm going to take my offline donations into the bank to be counted at some point. This will be embarrassing if I miscounted and haven't actually reached my target yet!!

Thank you to Mr Lloyd who sponsored me today :-)

Friday, 1 July 2011

Day 27

I'VE REACHED MY TARGET!!! I'VE RAISED £956.88 SO FAR!!!

Thank you to Jill and Barry, Hugh's parents, who sponsored me today. I also realised that I forgot to thank my Auntie Ron and her family who sponsored me during the week.

I did my 100 today. It was sore, but I'm getting fitter.

The pool is closed this weekend, and I'm selling brownies to raise money for the Bury Bombers, the wheelchair basketball club that Hugh is a part of. I shall also be playing basketball. It should be interesting!

2370 down, 6836 to go.

I got some letters :-)

I'm now less than £100 away from my goal!!!

Thank you to Ray again, and thank you to Glasswells :-)

Thank you to:

Sponsors:

Akash, Mercy, Tom, The Breezes, Bat & Steve, Carli, Anna, Zerelda, Katie, My Mum and Dad, Angharad, Jen & Justin, The Crisp Family, Harry, Rusty, Hazel, Jackie, Hugh, Ursula, Sam, The Bedford family, The Banks family, Granma and Grandad, The Westoby Family, Chris, Catherine, Christian, Anna, Danny, Will, Chris, Jenn, Roz, The drunk lady at the pub, Michael, Joe, Alice, Todd, Christian (again. He wanted more brownies), The Wright Family, Ursie again :-), Aiden, Lianne, The people of BSEAODS, The people at the Spread Eagle, The people at Abbeycroft Leisure, Bury St Edmunds, Ross, Rui & his brothers, Tahi, My Granda Peter and Marion, The Clark family, Ray, Maddy, Glasswells, Jill and Barry, Lloyd, Abi, Hannah, The Limmer Family, Cat, Ian and Jack, Jordan, Tim, Tom (again, because he thought that donating by text looked like fun!), Denny Bros, Neil, The people at the Rose and Crown, the people at Eric's Prime Cuts, The JustGivingTeam, Jackie, Megan, Ruth, Linda, Mark, British Sugar, the Gentleman I used to swim with.

Other help:

Kath and Jacqui from TAG, Jo & Tudor at the EADT, Hugh, Carli, Mum and Dad for putting up with all of my swimming talk & giving me lots of ideas (and Hugh's also made lots of phone calls for me and taken lots of pictures and made me a poster and agreed to do lots of favours, so thank you a lot :-) ). My Dad's also taken me to places he frequents (the pub and the butchers) so I can ask them to put a collecting tin on their counter/bar. Clare and Tracy who have let me put a collecting box, poster and business cards on reception at the leisure centre. Hazel who let me do the same on the bar at the Spread Eagle, and Liz at the Rose and Crown, and Jim and James at Eric's. Carli who made lots of brownies for me and then sold them, and who's also took some pictures of me and given out business cards :-) . Neil and Ant at the Spread Eagle who gave me the kick up the bum to ask all of the patrons for sponsorship. Ursie, who's been getting all of her friends (many of whom have never met me) to donate, and Carli (what would I do without my sister??) who's been doing the same, especially with BSEAODS. And also to all of the lovely people who don't know me and who haven't heard of Arthrogryposis, but still gave a few quid, and an extra special thank you to the woman who had never met me before but who gave me £20 at the pub today (18/6/11), because she didn't have anything smaller. Bat who bought me some more business cards and is just generally a wonderful godmother :-) Jackie who gave me the idea for a scrapbook. I'd never thought about it, but I think I'll appreciate it in the years to come. Jill for letting me film in a training session, Hugh, Amy, Lloyd, Chris, Jordan, Jack and David for being in my video, and Ursie for filming it. Tal at JustGiving for putting me in their blog, the judges of the JustTextGiving competition who gave me a runners-up prize, Hugh and Ursula especially, but everyone who was involved in my surprise video, party etc. (Mum, Dad, Carli, Hugh, Granma, Grandad, Ursula, Polly, Steve, Diana, Kian, Christian, Joe, Hannah, Carl, Josh, Lewis, Aiden, Hannah, Jordan, Hazel, Veronica, Jackie, Alice, chris, Tim, Tim, Tom, Chloe, George, Alison, Lloyd, Rui, Jess, Katie, Paul, Molly, George, Oscar). Everyone who was in the surprise video (Diana; My sister Carli; Poppy; the Lovely Steve; Carli; Ursula; Ian and Veronica; Hazel; Mark; Leah-cat; My Daddy Martin; My Mummy Judie; Ruth; Hugh's parents, Jill and Barry; Hugh's sister Kirsty, brother-in-law David and nephew Alistair; Chloe, Tom, Pete and Julie Bellotti; Christian; The Bury Bombers; Carl; Josh; Luke; Cat, Megan and Josh; Hugh.)

Jordy, Tim, Carli and George who joined in on my last swim.

Hugh and Ursula get a special thanks. They organised my surprise party, got a lot of people to come and watch me swim, got the Bury Free Press involved, got me a special lane in the pool and made me a surprise video. I love them both lots :-)

And also to everyone who has 'liked' my justgiving page, tweeted and facebooked about what I'm doing, shared my video, and generally helped to spread the word :-)

I'm sure there are lots of people I've forgotten. So I'm sorry if you're one of them (I also can't thank specific people who have given me money in the collecting tins as I don't know who you are). But this doesn't mean you're not appreciated. This list is expanding as I remember people. Thank you so much everyone. The response has been overwhelming.