Richard takes on an epic swimming challenge for Roald Dahl's Marvellous Children's Charity

There are swims for the charity and then there are the swim marathons. And swimming across three of the biggest lakes in Cumbria - Coniston, Ullswater and then Windermere (the region’s deepest at over 66m) will tot up over 23 miles of front crawl  - can only be described a swim marathon.

That marathon is what one of our supporters is taking on right now. Richard is in training and counting down to his first swim this month and is determined to raise thousands for Roald Dahl’s Marvellous Children’s Charity. That money – and he’s already over £13,000 with miles of cold-water practice to go – will support the charity’s work to establish more specialist nurses in NHS hospitals in this region, who provide a bespoke kind of personalised care and support for children and families living with some of the most serious and complex health conditions in the UK.  Richard and his family had a taste of what this might be like when, ten years ago, their baby daughter Flo was born with a condition known as VACTERL association, which causes a range of birth defects affecting multiple organs and body systems. For Flo that included a hole in her heart, spinal anomalies, a hearing deficit, and kidney and bladder problems. “It was by chance that I picked up an article about Roald Dahl’s Marvellous Children’s Charity and it resonated with me,” says Richard, 58. “I knew what it was like to have a poorly child and, while Flo is doing well and now in year 5 at school, she’s had 25 surgeries and continues under the care of the hospital. But I can only imagine what it must be like if that early experience we had managing on a few hours’ sleep, trying to understand conditions, manage appointments, plan treatments, had continued in the same way for the rest of her life.  “It changed my outlook,” adds Richard. “I meet parents with poorly children, and I can understand a little more of what their life is like, a life that is often hidden from public view. People don’t understand the whole range of emotions that go with caring for a sick child. The knock-on effect of that on working and family life. These parents just take on this overwhelming stressful role. Imagine what a godsend it would be having someone help you co-ordinate that care and support you across the weeks and months and years.”

Richard works for Serco (whose Foundation has  themselves supported the charity, donating £150,000 over three years), has run marathons and endurance challenges before, but now – with two hip replacements – swimming seemed like the better option. He’s been in training at his local pool but, as his first swim approaches, he’s been practising in open water. “Flo’s at an age where dads are not quite as cool as they seemed when children are small. But she thinks what I am doing is quite cool, and that feels good. And I know that like all fundraisers, while the job is to enrich the lives of others, it is enriching my life in so many ways, too.”  Richard will be swimming over five miles across Coniston on 21 June, 7.5 miles across Ullswater on 12 July and then 11 miles across Windermere (the region’s deepest at over 66m) on 6 September. You can support his efforts at  https://www.justgiving.com/page/richard-inman-1732293280573. Roald Dahl’s Marvellous Children’s Charity is on a mission to make sure every seriously ill child and their family in this region can benefit from support via a Roald Dahl Nurse Specialist and the charity's Marvellous Family Support Services. Inspired to take on a challenge of your own? Get in touch today!