Sisters swim the Channel to support hospice care charity

Elodie (UVI) and Daisy (LV), along with other members of their family, successfully swam 21 miles in a relay to raise money for Rennie Grove Hospice Care.

9 June 2020

A charity in need of help

Elodie, Daisy and their family have been busy over half term raising vital funds for Rennie Grove, a charity very close to their hearts. As Elodie explains,

“Rennie Grove is a charity that provides hospice care to people in their homes. In this time, their funding has been reduced by 75% due to closure of charity shops and cancellation of fundraising events. Every visit they make to the increased number of patients takes longer, and they are facing staff shortages. The charity is in need of support for its impactful work. Rennie Grove is important during the pandemic because it alleviates the pressure on the NHS by caring for people at home instead of in hospital, where they would be at greater risk from Covid-19, and would be reducing resources available to hospital staff who are treating patients with the virus.

My family wants to help Rennie Grove as best we can because they looked after my Grandpa and my late Step-Grandma Rosemary in their last days, and we are very grateful for the care they provided.”

The challenge was set

Daisy, Elodie’s sister, tells the story of how the family came together to support Rennie Grove.

“Lockdown has been difficult for many people. My family were feeling a bit frustrated that we couldn’t do something positive and there is a lot of attention on the NHS at the moment but not so much on the problems faced by other charities. Rennie Grove Hospice Care does a very important job looking after patients in the community.

We are lucky to have a lovely swimming pool in our garden and my mum suddenly had a good idea: we could swim the Channel in our pool – 21 miles in a family relay from Dover to Calais.

We measured the pool and worked out that we’d need to swim 2,930 lengths between us. 586 lengths each. We trained in lovely sunny weather to make sure we’d be strong enough on the day and decided to do it on the May bank holiday in half term.”

On the day

Daisy continues:

“The day was long. We took it in turn to do sets of 200 lengths. My dad and brother started at 7.40am and my mum completed the last lengths at 7.15pm. We got more and more tired but never gave up. I enjoyed swimming with my sister Elodie.

My hair has turned green from the chlorine but I am so happy we completed the challenge! We have raised almost £9,000 on our JustGiving page and my dad’s work say they will match what we raise. Rennie Grove Hospice Care are so happy that we have raised so much money for them.”

We are immensely proud of Elodie and Daisy, and their family. To find our more and show your support you can visit their JustGiving page.

DISCOVER

 

About Rennie Grove Hospice Care

Find out more about the vital support provided by the charity visit the Rennie Grove website where donations can also be made.

Rennie Grove Hospice Care is a charity providing specialist care and support for adults and children with a life-limiting illness in Bucks and west Herts. Through our unique Hospice at Home service, available day and night, and a range of day services we support our patients to live the best quality life they can with a choice about how and where they are cared for towards the end of life. We are also here for the families of our patients, ensuring that everyone can receive the right support, when they need it, to help them make every moment together matter.

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