Dinnaton Swimming Club Raise £2,000 for Three Year Old Henry Hallam

Swimmers of all ages turned out at Dinnaton Swimming Club on Bank Holiday Monday to take part in a 12-hour swimathon to raise money for The Henry Hallam Appeal. The event, part-organised by 13-year-old Charlotte Craigie, raised £2,000 for the worthy cause.

Having first heard about the appeal through her Guides group and finding out more about Henry’s love of swimming, Dinnaton Swimming Club member Charlotte decided to organise a fundraising day to raise money to help the appeal meet its target of raising £500,000 to fund the three-year-old’s treatment.

With the help and support of her fellow team mates, the swimming club hosted a 12-hour swimmathon at McCaulay’s Fitness and Golf Centre in Ivybridge. The event saw 16 swimmers aged nine to over 50, swim a total of 45 miles. Three of the club’s A squad, all aged 13, swam 10km each swimming non-stop for up to three hours. Three of the B1 squad, the oldest being 12, swam 5km in one and a half hours.

Alongside the sponsored swim, the team sold drinks and homemade cakes at McCaulay’s coffee shop on Saturday 25 May, helping to nearly quadruple the team’s original fundraising target of £500 by raising £2,000.

Simon Jones, Secretary of Dinnaton Swimming Club, congratulated the team on their efforts: “We’re immensely proud of the all of those who took part in, or helped organise, our 12-hour swimathon in aid of such a great cause.

“The whole team were full of enthusiasm throughout the day and really challenged themselves to achieve their goals. To reach our original target of raising £500 was a great success, but to raise £2,000 is unbelievable. I’m sure this will go a long way towards helping fund part of Henry’s treatment.”

Jill Henry, of The Henry Hallam Appeal fundraising committee, was delighted with the result: “On behalf of The Henry Hallam Appeal we would firstly like to thank Charlotte for coming up with this brilliant fund raiser and secondly the whole squad for giving up their Bank Holiday Monday to support Henry, and for raising a fantastic amount of money.”

The Henry Hallam Appeal was created to raise funds for Henry Hallam who, at the age of just 3, was diagnosed with stage 4 Neuroblastoma in 2012. A rare cancer that affects the nerve cells, Neuroblastoma patients have an 80% chance of relapse and, as there is no relapse protocol in place in the UK, patients often need to travel abroad for treatment.

Needing help and support after Henry’s diagnosis, Henry’s family found Families Against Neuroblastoma, a children’s charity offering assistance and advice to families dealing with the disease. Relying on the generosity of the local community, The Henry Hallam Appeal aims to raise £500,000 to provide potentially life-saving treatment for Henry abroad.

Donations for Dinnaton’s swimathon are still being accepted and can be placed online at the club’s Just Giving page at www.justgiving.com/dinnatonswimmingclub.

To find out more about Henry’s story, visit www.justgiving.com/henryhallamappeal. Alternatively, donations can be made directly to the appeal by texting HUGS80, along with the amount between £1 and £10 to 70070.