I'VE DONE IT - NEIL WALKER

I'VE DONE IT - NEIL WALKER

 

My challenge of swimming 3 miles has been completed, and what a fantastic one it was.

My first swim 10am Yellow wave was relatively easy, I took it steady and I finished in 29:03. I suffered a slight sore on the back of my neck due to the Velcro from my wetsuit that had rubbed quite bad. I attended the first aid tent and explained I had a further two waves to complete but they could not really offer any first aid or a solution to the problem.  The only solution was to ditch the wetsuit in time for my 2nd swim, which I did!!

12:35pm Green wave my second swim soon came round, so off I went.   I felt pretty good as I went around the course so decided to push myself for a better time and put a sprint in at the last 100 metres.    I had a slight twinge of cramp in my left calf so had to leave off kicking with my left leg but managed a time of 28:15.

2pm Purple wave  I had to make my way back to the start as I was due to set off again at 2pm for my last and final swim. I was very conscious of my calf with the cramp so I worked on the calf to try and prevent any further attack.  I was starting to feel a little tired by now and wished I hadn't pushed myself in the previous swim.  I had a friend join me in this wave to help spur me on.  I finished this race in 31.38

I want to thank you all for your support in sponsoring me; I will be collecting in the money in the next week or two.  I was hoping to raise a £1,000, but overall it looks more like £3,000.  The family are so overwhelmed by everyone’s generosity and the children have decided they would like to go to Ibiza in October.  This was the last family holiday they spent with their Mum and Dad.

Your contribution is greatly appreciated.

Donations can be made by contacting me via Diary of an open water swimmer - this blog, or facebook and i will direct you to the payment methods available - happy swimming folks!

SWIMMING FOR OTHERS! - NEIL WALKER

My Name is Neil Walker and I am attempting to swim three one-mile swims in Salford Quays on the 20^th July 2013 to raise money for a young family that have suffered the most unreal tragic circumstances.  This a story of a family, Robert (Dad) ,Rachel (Mum), Luke and Olivia Scholey from  Kimberworth Rotherham.

On the 9^th August 2011, tragically Robert died very suddenly of a ruptured bowel that had perforated which lead to septicaemia aged only 41 yrs. This was very sudden and shocked the community leaving a wife Rachel, Luke 11 yrs and Olivia 3 yrs.

Rachel was  so positive after Robert's death as she had to be for her two young children, bringing them up was not going to be easy for her but she  continued to lead a normal life taking Luke to football and bringing Olivia up and just being a fantastic and strong Mum.

Rachel eventually went back to work after Roberts’s death as a nurse at Rotherham Hospital when she started to feel unwell. Rachel had some tests  and on the 15^th May 2012 she was diagnosed with a grade 4 brain tumour.

This was devastating news and very hard to comprehend for the family and friends of Rachel, but she was extremely brave and accepted what she had. One thing Rachel did have was a very loving family and she was very close to her sister Karen and had lots of friends and work colleagues who were willing to help anyway they possibly could.

Rachel never asked how long she had to live so no one had any inclination and she continued to be very brave for Luke and Olivia.

As time went on Rachel began to deteriorate but continued with her treatment.

Suddenly on the 20^th May 2013 Rachel’s Dad Terry tragically died very suddenly leaving the family devastated and having to cope with his unfortunate death.

On the 25^th May 2013, Rachel lost her battle against Cancer aged 38 yrs leaving Luke now 13 yrs and Olivia 5 yrs  sister Karen, Family and friends and the community totally devastated.

Rachel was a loving caring Mum Auntie friend and would do anything to help others nothing was too much trouble for her.  Rachel never ever moaned  or complained about her illness she was just such a brave person.  It really is a privilege to have known Robert and Rachel Scholey.

Rachel’s sister Karen and husband Nigel now have taken care of Luke and Olivia also having a son of their own Lewis

I am raising money to send Karen, Nigel, and children on a family holiday that they more than deserve. I want to try to make a difference.

You too can make a difference by sponsoring me to complete the three one mile swims to help raise money.

Your contribution is greatly appreciated.

Donations can be made by contacting me via Diary of an open water swimmer - this blog, or facebook and i will direct you to the payment methods available - happy swimming folks!

A MEMORY REVIVED

A MEMORY REVIVED

This time last year an amazing lady called Louise Bradley was preparing to take part in her first ever open water event. She had been coached, overcome her fears.....had to talk to herself several times, put her trust in me completely....from the second she dipped a toe in the water, she changed, she strengthened, her spine straightened, she developed and grew.

I sit here tonight in anticipation of the glass of red wine i shall have in salute to her amazing achievement, tomorrow night, just as i did one year ago.

People come and people go and every now and then someone enters your life that reminds you a little of you, that leaves an imprint that you know will last a lifetime, as just as i did a year ago and just as i will tomorrow night, i will raise a glass to the determination of one lady and to the powers of open water swimming that helped her realise just how special she is.

We all sign up for events then wonder what on earth we have done and why we are doing it, then we train, and then the day arrives, our family surround us, the noise overwhelms us but we are there, and no matter now much every fibre of our being is saying 'just leave..no one is forcing you to do it' we stand on the start line and wait for the starters whistle. And there it is we are off, just us and the elements...we are doing it!
As we go round our bodies say no i can't do it, i am tired, our heads play every game that can be played, the elements toss us and turn us in the water....is this what our washing feels like when we put it in the machine i wonder.....but wow we are doing it...the big day is happening!!!!

 And then as fast as we can blink its over, the medal is round our necks and we have done it, the tears have been worth it, the hugs breath taking, the smiles amazing, its a film reel that goes round and round in my head, i wanted to shout from the roof tops SHE DID IT!!!!! And still do, i am grateful for the experience she gave me and always will be and for that tomorrow Louise my glass is and always will be on the night of first mile Great North swim, raised to you!

What does the future hold for an amazing lady, well i am proud to say she's getting married, a bride what will shine brighter than the sun on the day.

I toast to you Louise, as i sit her slightly emotional remembering this time last year, each and every year i will toast you, you are incredible and please never forget that!!!

HUNTING FOR BUBBLES (CAPENWRAY SOCIAL SWIM)

HUNTING FOR BUBBLES (CAPENWRAY SOCIAL SWIM)

The return to this amazing venue was a certain, at the back end of 2012 Alison Darley and myself took to Capernwray's clear waters for a dip after coaching, the water was cooling in the autumn months but the sun was glorious as we followed it round the quarry in our attempts to seek out its final warmth of the day.We were the only two swimmers in the water and the area was silent other than the evening calls of the resident birds. The divers in the water showed their presence by the surfacing of the bubbles as they broke the waters glassy surface. Swimming around taking in the visions below us, the water the clearest it had been all summer (it tends to get EVEN clearer as the water cools), we found the diving bell, never been seen before by either of us, we were just two grinning swimmers as you can imagine! And then far below us we spied two divers, their yellow fins standing out in the blue of the water. Without speaking as telepathically agreed we followed the divers by their bubbles, large and small rising from the depths bring fresh waves of cold water with them. I am not sure how long we followed them for before the magical moment happened. At the same time we both realised we could see our own reflections in the larger bubbles as they rose. In sync we stopped swimming and at the same time said 'bubbles' to each other. Then it was heads down and grinning under the water we watched ourselves get bigger in the milky surface of the bubbles as they rose, we stay in until the water chilled us to the point of shivering. Our only disappointment - not a camera with us, we had left them in the car and were too chilled to get out and re-enter the water again - we vowed to return.

The winter has seemed soooo long, too long when you are waiting to return to a venue you love but finally we could wait no longer, it had to be done, dates booked and announced, swimmers adding themselves as attending. The water was around 9 to 10 degrees, the sun shining and an added bonus of 3 divers who very generously had repsonded to a request to share their bubbles with us. Steve Smith, Stuart Sanderson and Mark Fairhurst had kindly agreed to meet us and let Alison and i track their bubbles - this time cameras charged and ready to click away! I had arranged to meet Steve at Capenwray, it would be easy, i would be wearing a wetsuit, him a black drysuit and with yellow fins...i mean how hard can it be!!! Other than the fact that people rarely look like their facebook photo (oh yes there are those that put pics of themselves aged 4 on or even better their cat!), but given the discription we were sure to spot each other, confident i arrived at the venue...to find it packed full of vans...and divers and oh yes they all had black dive suits on and you would not belive how many were carrying yellow fins!!! Needle in a haystack time!!! After asking around 6 men in black, high are you Steve...i gave up asking when the 6th told me no he wasn't but he could be if i wanted him to be!!! Phew how hard was this going to be, then suddenly a male approach...oh thank the lord...Steve was there!!! Introductions made, he and his friends had arrived and brought their under water cameras too...yippeee I was really looking forward to this! The guys went off to get their kit, us swimmers changed and to the waters edge. The sun really lending its warmth to us, astonished divers exiting the water were astonished at our plans to swim, 'we have drysuits on and we are cold..you guys are hardcore they said' We must have looked like we knew what we were doing, 20 neoprene clad swimmers all grinning practically itching to get in the water. Group photo taken...it was time to get in....at this point even people in the cafe had come out to take pictures of us getting in!

The intital bite of the water hitting us as we entered, its clarity permitting fleeting glimpses of the fish, who used to the divers feeding them obvioulsy thought that we had brought a buffet with us for them to feast on...those new to swimming and having never been to capenwray dealt with the sudden intrusion with great dignitiy but yes there were a few squeals and whoops!!

Left - Where is it and will it touch me!!!!

Phew...nope its swam way

eeeeeek...the fish are over here!!!!

Divers stood around watching our entry...it was swift...no hesitation...other than the ritual....warming of the wetsuit...Vanessa Christie and i have literally got this down to a fine art now...almost syncronised you could say!! What do you reckon Ness...a wee smile!!!!

Swimmers do what swimmers do and headed off exploring the sights below them, stopping to admire their surroundings, their shouts of 'look at this', 'oh this is amazing' echoed round the watery cavern.

Alison got busy finding our divers....yellow fins...thats what we were looking for!!!  We found them...the bubble hunt commenced. Thankfully Steve knew what we were after and he and his friends set about making sure we were getting them. It must have looked quite strange to anyone watching, the other swimmers blasting round and then us too virtually prone in the water, the occasional kick of the legs to keep up with the divers. But we wanted bubbles ...and its bubbles we got!

                                                     

There was a particular shot that we were trying to get. Our reflection mirrored in the bubble which is what we spotted the previous year...would we find it or was it a one off last year never to be seen again. The divers at this point were relatively shallow in the water (for divers that is), but slowly they moved deeper, thankfully the blue and yellow fins meant that they were were still visible. 

One thing we had not anticipated or to be honest even thought of was the temperature..on the top of the water where we were it was around 10...but the bubbles that the divers were releasing from the depths ...were so much colder and that in turn made us soooo much colder! Have we got the shot we wanted...it was hard to tell, our own body temperature kept steaming up our goggles, the cold was making us start to shiver. Oh for it to have been a red hot day (few and far between i know) We knew we would have to return in the warmer months to keep trying...even if we did have the shot we wanted. Here is the one i am most pleased with:

The divers bubbles were cooling us down rapidly by now, we really should have got out 10 minutes before we did but it was a such an amazing sight to watch our reflections growing larger as they headed towards us, having them burst over us. Vanessa came over just at the point we had decided to get out, leaving her with the bubbles, we headed to the showers. Oh the warmth of the cafe was calling!

Warmed as much as we can be, we headed up to the cafe for warm drinks and food. Time to get the camera out to prove everyone made it out alive...and they did and they all had big grins too or maybe that was the frigid waters fixing their faces into position. But here are a selection of the post swim, trying to warm up pics.

 Apparently this food came with chips....!!!

20+ Tired but smiling swimmers headed home, all of us suitably warmed up, they enjoyed the water, the fish came to say hi and observed us from below, the sights greeted us....a great day by one and all. See you all again soon!!

ROYAL PHOTOGRAPHIC SOCIETY Panasonic FT4 Camera review

SWIMMING FOR ITV TELEVISION

SWIMMING FOR ITV TELEVISION

Word soon gets round on Facebook and the words got around...swimmers wanted...oh go on then if you insist. Emails from ITV, co-ordination from the Wild West Swimmers group on Facebook,   B and B booked....just got to sit back and wait now.

What were ITV Television filming for? Well all TV companies promote themselves and ITV are going through a re-brand, new logo's etc. And we were to be a part of it in the form of an IDENT. Which is the brand advertising s in-between programmes and other adverts.

And so it was we headed up to Loch Lomond in Scotland, its a beautiful long loch with the most wonderful surroundings, even if the weather is atrocious its an amazing place to be, the sandy shoreline gives way to clear water which deepens in its golden colour the further you enter into it. Arriving late afternoon to our b and b, the lady owner happy to inform us of local hostries to get an evening meal in. We decided to eat at the Luss hotel (just over the road from where we were staying. A recently refurbished building which is wonderfully relaxing to be in, with real ale, great wines and a log fire and brilliant food!

The following morning, weather lovely and still, air temperature...cool but not too cold and we headed off for a breakfast meeting. It was wonderful to meet so many of the Wild West Swimmers and what a smashing bunch they are too, instantly welcoming and full of brilliant banter. Pots of coffee and tea along with a full Scottish breakfasts for those that wanted them were brought out.!

The crew rushing around organising themselves whilst we had our fill of the local food, and then it was curtains up and time to perform. Heading off to get our wetsuits on i was likened to a load of seals about to be filmed....! Soon enough it was time to 'perform'. Wow, that a set-up and all for us, large reflective umbrella for the filming, even a make up lade in case our lips turned blue with the chill, runners, camera persons, director etc 21 people just to film us....and all their equipment. The crew were all excited....they had seen a seal...impossible said the Wild West Swimmers...you never get that sort of wild life in the loch, we all scoured the water, not seeing a solitary head bobbling out of the water  (the news later detailed the sighting!!!) 

Hopping from foot to foot while the crew did their work, we waited whilst they outlined the plan of action. They swept the beach...literally., to remove debris (there was none) and foot prints. We were ready, form queues either side of the camera and when your shoulder was tapped run into the water..oh and mind the sodding great metal wire that runs presumably from the boat house to the depths of the water. We could say what we wanted on the way into the water and while we were swimming, but on the way back and whilst we were running back onto the beach we were instructed not to talk, one can only assume they did not want to see us mouthing the words....gosh that was cold!

Thankfully our backs were turned from the camera for the first entry into the water, at 9 degrees it still had the capacity to take our breaths away, a few howler monkey impressions were heard, the odd bit of open water tourettes kicked in but we all got in and swam to the appointed distance. No time to acclimatise and we were out of the water running past the camera grinning. The crew collectively shivered at our advancement and the odd droplet of water that landed on them! I think they were slightly in awe of what we were doing whilst at the same time trying to comprehend the 'why' factor...were our grins not enough to explain! Did they not get it, they rushed towards us, blankets, hot water bottles and hot drinks at the ready, a room with a form of heater in it for us to shelter from the slight breeze that we were encountering. 

The director and crew revised the footage, discussed new angles......us swimmers giving our suggestions too, jumping/diving off of the pier..would we do it they asked.....a collective yes went up! And off we headed to the pier, their boat complete with camera man on board to record the massive splash that we must have created. Oh the back-flips started, the dives and jumps, I think the crew were a little astonished at how at ease we are in the water, I am not sure what they were expecting but I hope that we reassured them that WE are fine in the water, we embrace it, it becomes part of it and its a part of us.

Playtime over and it was time to get in the water and swim again, round and round the boat , we rotated like a neoprene clad shoal of mackerel  The camera rolling, the photographer clicking...did we look good enough. It was hard to know what they were after, although direction was being given we had the freedom to be ourselves in the water.

Heading back to the original swim spot, the runners there with freshly made up hot water bottles  hot drinks and sweets, some when off for a bit of a longer swim, others huddled like penguins in the little room provided for us. The heater providing a gentle warmth that brought fingers and toes back to life.

Given enough time to thaw properly and it was time for skins only ( i.e take the wetsuit off time!). Oh this was going to feel very different. Karen.......was thrilled to see the beach being swept in front of us, removing evidence of our earlier entrances and exits from the water.....i do remember her stating that she would now be requiring this of all the swims she did....i am sure the rest of her group did this for her....or maybe not! I however would love to see it happen!!!

Standing around in our costumes and trunks wrapped in fleece  and foil blankets like lemmings waiting to go off the side of a cliff, the crew were behaving slightly differently, eventually one of them came over....when we get in the water could we try not to make any vocal noise as there was a funeral going on, it then became apparent the wonderful sound of a lone bagpipe echoing mournfully over the water. And as if to prove it a small handful of black clad people came to watch us, i am not sure what they made of us but hopefully we provided a bit of welcome relief on such a day. But as they stood watching the director quietly told us to line up, the same formation as before, and when tapped on the shoulder we were to head to the water.

Now the water was cool before but having been in and out of it all morning now we were non-wetsuit..and not allowed to make a noise...the signal given a brief tap on the shoulder and off we went, oh holy smolly....whispered cursing as the sharp bite of the cold water hit us, it was borderline painful. The swimming no where near as elegant or perfected as before as the breathing and stroke technique wet to pot. Heading out, oh the sweet relief of the warmth of what little sun there was hitting our skin. Grabbing towels and all manner of blankets we shrouded ourselves with as much as we could. And they the words.....could you do it again please. Gulp....the cold was really creeping into our bodies, several of the group actively shivering.

Forming an orderly, now most of collectively shaking, the tap on the shoulder and in we went, not so bad this  time and all to soon over and done with, cut came the call (yes they really do say that!) and the runners were telling us we could get dressed and head back to the first meeting point of the day. We did not need telling twice, heading off (and as per normal leaving everything i own at the venue only to be remember when naked and not able to run back to get them!) we got dressed and headed back to the hotel. Oh one log fire...yes we all took our turn to get as close as we could to it. Bliss, hot drinks, chocolate and all manner of sweets to keep us happy. Disclaimers and permission forms signed and it was time to head home. What a wonderful day, again it was so lovely to finally meet all the Wild West Swimmers, Loch Lomond is amazing and it was great to return to it . The ident came out in January 2013 and has been seen all round the country over and over, its still an amazing surprise when it pops up in the adverts. A fantastic experience!!!  And for those of you that have not seen it here it is there are two versions one for 19 seconds and the other for 31, here's the longer version... I'm the one in the red and black costume with the yellow hat. Hope you like it folks!!!!
ITV IDENT    -        http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EydnnO7b7Q4

And the stars of the show were Pauline Squire (me), Karen weir, Gillian Lester, Kim Lane, Kirstin Scott, Lindsey Carson, Mark Bonner, Robert Hamilton, Jim Cunningham, Peter Warren, James Pollock, Cameron Scott, Mark Cohen, John Pullman, Robert Pytlarczyk, Tom McGuire