Philip Ireland
Phil Ireland's Fundraising Page
Fundraising for Help for Heroes
Story
A few local press snippets from Paisley & Lichfield:
PLEASE SEE BOTTOM OF PAGE FOR PROGRESS UPDATES
Thank you for visiting my fundraising page. I am aiming to swim a total of 50 miles in the pool to raise funds for a wonderful charity, Help for Heroes. And, I'll be completing this sponsored event in memory of Jamie Hutton and David Ireland.
MARINE JAMIE HUTTON: On 15th July 2008 Jamie tragically lost his life in an accident at Lulworth Ranges in Dorset as he was preparing to return to Afghanistan for his second tour. We got to know this great guy when he lived a few doors away from us in Naples shortly before joining The Corps. We will always remember his love of life and the permanent smile on his face.
PRIVATE DAVID IRELAND: My Great Uncle enlisted in 1916 days after his 18th birthday, joining the 3rd Royal Highlanders, The Black Watch. He was sent to France as a dispatch cyclist, relaying messages from trench to trench under heavy fire, and was shot through the shoulder from a German biplane. He rejoined the war in April 1917 at the Battle of Arras and was shot in the knee. Although his physical wounds healed with time, he never recovered mentally from his experiences in the trenches and spent 77 years in a psychiatric hospital until his death in 2001 at the age of 103.
In the weeks since the Christmas holiday I have worked up from being pretty much out of breath after 10 measly lengths to managing to plod along steadily for 3 miles (192 lengths of a 25 metre pool) on a couple of consecutive days. So, I started the 50 mile challenge on 26 January and hope to achieve 2-3 miles at each session in the pool.
Donating through Justgiving is quick, easy and totally secure. It’s also the most efficient way to sponsor me: Help for Heroes gets your money faster and, if you’re a UK taxpayer, Justgiving makes sure 25% in Gift Aid, plus a 3% supplement, are added to your donation.
Thank you for your support.
Phil
PROGRESS UPDATES
11 February: 50 mile target reached today after 15 sessions in the pool, averaging 213 lengths/3.3 miles per day. The very generous responses have exceeded my expectations, and widening knowledge of this fundraising event through an upcoming article in the Paisley Daily Express will hopefully help to raise even more for H4H. Thank you.
6 February: Had to beat a hasty retreat from Elderslie pool this morning after only 1 mile; this Clearance Diver was no match for the 20 pensioners taking over the shallow end for their weekly aerobics class! Must remember to check the timetable. Anyway, I re-started in Johnstone and ended up doing a total of 4 miles today. I've now covered 38 miles and am looking to finish the full 50 sometime next week. Big fundraising days on 4/5 February - thank you.
3 February: 3 miles on each of 1st and 2nd Feb in Erskine pool, and 4 this morning in Elderslie. Have now passed the half-way mark with 27.5 miles covered. Great to see donations still coming in - thank you. Please ignore the target sum, which was just a stab in the dark at what I thought might be achievable. And, please do pass the details on to any relatives, friends or colleagues you think might be interested in making a contribution.
31 January: Longest swim yet on Friday with a 5 mile session over 3 hours in Johnstone pool. Rest day today (Saturday), and have thus far notched up 17.5 miles. Am over the moon with the responses to date. And, as I obviously cannot send the anonymous donor a personal email, I'll say it here - thank you so much!
29 January : Only got to pool at Johnstone at 8.10 pm last night and managed 2.5 miles, but caught up again this morning with a 4 mile session. Have been given free access to Erskine and Johnstone swimming pools by The Club @ Renfrewshre Leisure, for which many thanks.
27 January: 6 miles completed in first 2 days; early days but on track.