On Monday 16th June, Kevin Davies, an amazing Phyllis Tuckwell supporter, swam the English Channel, raising over £2,851 for the local Hospice Care charity.
The swim was something Kevin had always wanted to do, and he thought that whilst he was doing it, he would like to take the opportunity to raise money for a charity – and chose Phyllis Tuckwell.
"I’ve swum competitively since I was a kid, and swimming the English Channel is something that I’ve always thought I’d be capable of. I set off just after 1am and it took just over fourteen hours. The wind, waves and tides were all brutal and I was struggling by the end, but I made it!” said Kevin.
Phyllis Tuckwell provides palliative and end of life care for patients and families living with an advanced or terminal illness, such as cancer, in West Surrey and North-East Hampshire. £2,851 is enough to cover the cost of one of its In-Patient Unit nurses for nearly three weeks. Each nurse cares for up to six patients, providing compassionate symptom management and end of life care, and offering emotional support to patients’ families, too.
“This truly is an incredible challenge!” said Emily Reynolds, community fundraiser at Phyllis Tuckwell. “I can’t congratulate and sing Kevin’s praises enough. It’s been amazing to watch his journey and follow his tracking as he crossed. He must be so strong minded, to be in the water for so long. We really appreciate Kevin choosing to support us through this challenge and would like to say a huge thank you to him and everyone who supported and sponsored him.”
As the NHS/Government only cover around 25% of Phyllis Tuckwell's costs, it has to raise over £25,000 every single day to be able to offer all of its services, which it provides free of charge to its patients and their families and carers. If you are thinking of taking on a challenge like Kevin did, Phyllis Tuckwell would be very grateful if you would consider getting sponsored to do it, and raising money to help fund its care. If you would like to chat to one of its Fundraising team, please call 01252 729446 or email fundraising@pth.org.uk
All our services are free, but this is only possible due to the generosity of our amazing community. The Government/NHS only provide 25% of our costs, so we need to raise over £25,000 every day to provide our vital services.
Please donate what you can to help keep hospice care available to all those in our community who need us.
