Whitby swimmer raises £2,400 for MND Association - almost five times her original target
A Whitby woman who challenged herself to swim 10 miles in as few days as possible over the course of one month says she is delighted to have raised £2,400 for the MND Association.
Emma Thornsby, of St Hilda’s Court, had originally planned to swim five miles and raise £500, but then doubled her target, and her swim.
She said: “I decided that I would fund raise for Motor Neurone disease because it’s a cause close to my heart.
"I started to swim again in February and needed motivation to keep it going.
"When I rang the fundraising line for assistance, they asked how much I hoped to raise and I said £200 to 300.
"Their suggestion was to set my target at £500.
"To have achieved almost five times that is absolutely mind-blowing and overwhelming.
"I’m so grateful for all the support, not just financial but also the people who have encouraged me while swimming and in my downtime, making sure I have days off when I become a bit obsessional about it.
"My swimming has been so good for both my mental and physical health and I’m determined to keep it up, although not quite as regimented and I won’t be asking for any more sponsorship for a good while now.
"Thank you again for all your support.”
Until February, Emma hadn’t swum at all for four years, managing 26 lengths a couple of times, but then needed a week off due to a nasty fall and she built herself up from there.