Long-time volunteer Nicola Done-Orrell has overcome her fears by conducting four “terrifying” open-water swims, raising over £11,000 for St Ann’s Hospice.
The swimmer, who is the daughter of BetFred founder Fred Done, “put herself through the paces” when she swam relay swims around Jersey Island and across the English Channel. She also conducted two solo swims, one at Lake Windemere and the other at Ullswater also in the Lake District.
According to Nicola, each open water swim came with its own mental and physical challenge but says her relay swim across the English Channel was a standout.
“It’s terrifying because you’ve got to swim with jellyfish. In my first hour, I was stung but you’ve got to get back in the water because you are part of a team and if you don’t you’ll all be disqualified,” Nicola said.
“It was cold, it was only 14 degrees, so that also added to the struggle of getting back into the water.”
Nicola and her team swam the English Channel in 12 hours and 18 minutes.
Nicola says that swimming the length of Lake Windemere was also challenging as it was the longest solo swim she has done.
“I knew that nothing was going to hurt me but it was 10 and a half miles. I think it was fear that got me to the end, fear of failure,” she said.
A number of years ago, Nicola began open-water swimming as her friend was training for a triathlon and said she would help her train. According to the long-time St Ann’s volunteer, it was then that she caught the open-water “swimming bug”.
“When I first got in the water with my friend, I thought I’d just be helping her train and that would be it, I’d be done, I had no intention of ever doing it again. When I got in the water, I just absolutely loved it,” she said.
Nicola has also previously raised over £6,000 for the hospice following her first open-water swim at Coniston Lake in the Lake District in 2022.
Now that she has swum the length of Ullswater, Coniston, and Windemere, the open-water swimmer has completed the coveted ‘Lake District Triple Crown’.
Nicola also volunteers at the hospice’s Little Hulton site and says the reason she does so much for St Ann’s is because “you never know what’s around the corner”.
“You never know when you might need it, or your family might need it, or your friends might need it. It’s so important to have the hospice for the community. It’s a fantastic organisation,” she said.
Nicola may have completed five open-water swims but that does not mean she is ready to stop. She intends on conducting a solo swim from Jersey Island to France next year in a 14-mile, solo open-water swim also in aid of St Ann’s Hospice.
You can donate to Nicola’s cause through her Just Giving fundraiser.
