Bispham teacher smashes target for Trinity Hospice with lockdown channel swim

Vicki Gale, 56, of Warbreck Drive, Bispham, smashed her £200 target and to date has raised £1,150 for Bispham's Trinity Hospice by swimming in her back garden's pool.

Since moving from her hometown of Bath to the Fylde coast 12 years ago, and after participating in Bolton's Iron Man triathlon in 2014, she has taken part in numerous other triathlon events.

But this year, her athletic ambitions were suppressed by the imposed lockdown due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Despite continuing to work as an R.E teacher at St George's High School in Marton from her home, Vicki explained how she wanted to find a way to do what she loves, and raise money for Bispham's Trinity Hospice in the process.

"I couldn't take part in any triathlons because of the lockdown, so I thought I'd find a way to raise money for Trinity by swimming the equivalent of the channel," she said.

"I've always supported Trinity, they are just amazing people. Friends of mine have been looked after by them in the past and the support the hospice offered them was always incredible.

"Obviously I couldn't measure the 21 mile distance of the channel in my own pool, but I worked out how long it would take me to swim it and aimed to do that."

It took Mrs Gale just over two weeks to swim the full length of the channel in her pool, and she said she was "bowled over" by the amount of donations she had received.

She continued: "At first I only aimed to raise about £200, because I know things are difficult for everyone at the moment. I can't believe how many donations I've had, and I hope people will continue to help me raise as much as possible for the hospice.

"It was lots of fun, my wife and I posted regular updates and joked that we were nipping over to France for cheese, wine and pate.

"Trinity will be struggling at the moment because their fundraising events have been cancelled, so I really hope this helps them in some way."

A spokesman for Trinity Hospice said: "We always love hearing about our supporters’ fundraisers, especially when they’re something totally unique like Vicki’s.

"Vicki has kept us updated throughout and it’s clear she’s had a real laugh doing the challenge, which is what fundraising is all about.

"She’s done incredibly well staying committed to completing it and raised a fantastic amount of money as a result. We’re hugely grateful for the support from both Vicki and everyone who has sponsored her."

To donate to Vicki's fundraiser, you can visit her Just Giving page here.