Hey Everyone – For my 30^th Birthday I have decided
to undertake a challenge that will in turn be used to raise much needed funds
for a fantastic Charity Lough Neagh Rescue (LNR).

As many people are aware around 4 years ago on the 7^th
May 2017 myself and Liam got into great difficulty; just 1 mile out of shore on
Lough Neagh.  Liam’s boat began to take in
water and a short 5/6 minutes later we were both floating with nothing
supporting us only a Life Jacket. 

Liam is a crew member within LNR and until that day I wasn’t
really sure what being a crew member entailed. 
Liam knew that the boat had started to take in water before he alerted
me.  His calm and professional nature
allowed him to carry out the safety steps and procedures he had trained for
with the LNR team.  He rang the coastguard
at that point to tell him we were in trouble. 
Next to his side was a screaming woman shouting ‘HELP’ and to my side
was a calm man telling me everything would be OK and that the crew won’t let him
down. 

As soon as the boat sank we were left to our own devices; to
just wait.  These minutes seemed like
hours and all of a sudden Liam had noticed that the boat had hit an air-pocket
and was floating.  We then made our way over
to the boat and held onto a rope to try and keep us above water.  Myself and Liam had only been dating for a few
months and he managed to try and keep me positive and laughing as we waited on
help.  I on the other hand kept saying to
him are we going to die.

15-20 minutes later the LNR boat arrived and I could not
have been more grateful.  The LNR team;
which comprises of Ardboe, Kinnego and Antrim was not aware that it was a
fellow crew member in trouble.  When they
noticed it was Liam and I they couldn’t believe it.  We were then taken across the lough to Sandy
Bay where the ambulance team were situated to get us checked over.  Thankfully we only suffered mild hypothermia.

Over the following weeks it seemed very surreal that this had
happened us and I found it very hard to take on board; but one thing that stood
out to me was the tremendous composure and professionalism that these volunteer
crew members have when attending emergency call outs. 

Over the past 4 years I have seen the work and dedication
that these teams carry out; day and night to ensure their skills are kept up to
date to help anyone that gets into difficulty on the Lough or surrounding areas.
  

To enable their continued training to take place requires funds
and with the year that 2020 was the teams were unable to carryout their normal
fundraising days.  The statistics of 2020
indicated that there were 60 callouts where all 3 stations required their crew
to attend.  Each call out has a fee and
every penny counts to ensure this organisation continues through these difficult
times.

So, to do my bit for the Charity I have decided with the help
of Stuart in CrossFit BL to complete a 24 Hour Workout when Lockdown ends.  I will complete 1 workout Per Hour for 24
Hours.    

I felt extremely grateful for the crew at Ardboe for saving
our lives and I felt on my 30^th Birthday on 25^th February
I would finally repay them by trying to raise as much money as I can to boost
the brilliant work that they all do.

If anyone would like to donate follow the Just-Giving Page below.  Every penny will count for this amazing
organisation.

Thanks for all your support.

Lauren x