Tuesday 2 September 2008

Brighton swimmers plunge in to help fight heart disease

The sun was shining all day in Brighton as over 260 people braved the sea to raise money for the BHF and help them fight the UK’s single biggest killer, heart disease.

It was the second year of the BHF’s Brighton Sea Swim and it was certainly successful. The weather was beautiful and the sea looked fairly calm. However, the swimmers faced a challenging one mile swim, as easterly winds and a strong current made it hard work.

It was a great fun day out; but for others it meant a bit more. To Danielle Lade, aged 23, and her family, the BHF is close to their hearts.

Danielle’s grandfather, Chris Lade, who came from Brighton, sadly passed away last year. He’d had a triple heart bypass in 1998 and had become very poorly in recent years. He was a keen swimmer and swam at Hove beach every morning come rain or shine. The family swam in a group of four named 'Grandad Lade’s Happy Days Team', in his memory.

Danielle said: “It was a tough swim, however I really enjoyed it, plus having a day out with the family and remembering Grandad was lovely.”

Regional Event Organiser, Fran Watson said: “We are extremely pleased with the event and would like to thank everyone for taking such a big plunge into cold waters. All money raised will help us continue our fight against heart disease. We are really looking forward to next year!”

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2 comments:

Adam Vaughan said...

Thanks so much for featuring us. Just one small correction though -- Danielle's 23, not 14! :-)

Anonymous said...

As Danielle's dad I was feeling quite young when your article said she was 14! That is in fact the age of her brother Christopher (front left of a great photo). It was a great event held on the one day of summer we have had. I was also impressed with the safety arrangements made for the swimmers especially as the sea current conditions were quite strong and a number of the swimmers found the conditions quite difficult. I know my dad (Grandad Lade) would have been very proud of their efforts.