download a PDF of our Fundraising Booklet by clicking here.

The
PARTNERED WITH
22 Miles in
12 Weeks
www.aspirechannelswim.co.uk
Your challenge starts here...
/AspireChannelSwim
@aspchannelswim
Registered Charity no. 1075317
Scottish Registered Charity no. SC037482
Why swim for Aspire?
Every year thousands of Aspire Channel Swimmers help provide
support to people who have been paralysed by spinal cord injuries.
Your fundraising supports our services: Aspire Housing, Assistive
Technology, Independent Living and Aspire Grants.
Every eight hours in the UK someone is paralysed by a spinal cord injury; it can happen
to anyone at any time and no one is prepared for how it will change their life. Disability
is expensive and Aspire receives no government funding, so your fundraising is
extremely important.
The money you raise will help spinal injured people to live their lives independently. For
example, it could help someone buy a lightweight wheelchair through Aspire Grants.
It will also mean that Aspire can visit newly injured patients in hospital to offer support
and advise them about our other services such as Aspire Housing, should they need
accessible housing. It will also enable our Assistive Technology volunteers to train people,
regardless of their level of injury, to use computers and get online.
Luke received an Aspire Grant for a manual wheelchair
Luke was 23 years old when he had a diving accident in Mexico which left him
paralysed. He was successful in applying for funding through Aspire Grants for a
manual wheelchair in 2013.
“I heard about Aspire Grants when I was having some physio at Stoke Mandeville
Hospital. The wheelchair I had been provided
by Wheelchair Services was too heavy so it was
recommended that I apply for funding for a more
suitable wheelchair through Aspire Grants.
When I found out I had been successful with
funding, I was over the moon. I am much more
independent now, transfers are much easier in the
car and on the bed.
The wheelchair is much lighter so I can self-propel
much easier. I have my own home now, although I
live close to my parents, not too close though but
enough to go there for Sunday dinner and to take
my washing.”
What your money could help us buy
£50
will pay for a set of adjustable furniture raisers so beds and chairs
are set at the correct level for someone with a spinal injury.
£150
will pay for an Independent Living Advisor to spend a day in a
Spinal Injury Centre offering one to one advice and support to
newly injured patients.
£450
will buy SmartNav technology to allow someone with a high
level injury to use a computer without the use of their hands.
£750
will buy a laptop and accessible bed table for someone in
hospital so that they can stay in touch with friends and family.
£1000
will provide a rise and fall sink or hob in one of our houses
so that a wheelchair user can access them.
£3000
will buy a made to measure lightweight wheelchair to give
someone with a spinal injury the freedom of being able to
travel without assistance.
Laura took part in the Aspire Channel Swim 2013
“My motivation for taking part in the Aspire Channel Swim was my husband Neil.
In 2009 our lives changed forever when an accident at work left my husband in
a wheelchair. He spent 6 months in hospital, where we saw how spinal injuries
affected so many people – a Spinal Cord Injury can happen to anyone at any time.
By taking part in the challenge I hoped to raise
awareness of spinal injuries and also as a way to
say thank you to everyone who helped not only my
husband, but our whole family come to terms with
his injury.
My favourite part of the challenge was seeing my
swimming ability improve as the weeks went on.
In the beginning I struggled to swim 30 lengths
in one go, but I was very determined to complete
the challenge and raise as much as I could. I
raised £1,100 in the Aspire Channel Swim. I was
overwhelmed by everyone’s generosity and seeing
my total getting higher and higher as I went on was
all the motivation I needed.”
Fundraising tips
Swimming the distance of
the Channel is an amazing
achievement and something
to be very proud of, so share
it with your friends, family and
colleagues and see how much
you can raise!
Getting sponsored
Just Giving Tips
Raise money online
Make your Just Giving page stand out
from the rest with these helpful tips…
Our brand new website lets you record
and save your lengths online. Through your
Swimmer Profile, your friends and family can
monitor your progress across the Channel
and also how your fundraising is going.
The more you share your Swimmer Profile
through Facebook, Twitter and email, the more
you’ll raise! You can also challenge your fellow
swimmers and see how they’re getting on –
make sure to check out our new Leaderboard
on the website to see your official Aspire
Channel Swim ranking and see who else is
taking part at your pool!
The easiest way to fundraise is through
an online Just Giving page. We’ve tried to
make this as simple a process as possible
by creating a Just Giving page automatically
when you sign up for the swim.
Paper sponsor forms
If you prefer paper then please use the
sponsor forms provided in your pack. Try your
best to get your first sponsor to pledge
a generous amount; hopefully others will
follow their lead! Pass your sponsor form
around your colleagues and friends and make
sure everyone knows about the fantastic
challenge you’re doing. Please get your
sponsors to tick the Gift Aid box and to
clearly print their full name and address with
postcode, as Aspire can claim back 25p per
£1 donation.
Personalise your profile
Add a photo, write your own personal
fundraising story and post regular
updates to make sure your Just Giving
page is noticed.
Share your profile
Sharing your profile with everyone you
know via Facebook, Twitter and email is the
best way to get that sponsorship rolling in.
Make sure people know what you’re doing
and why you’re doing it. Share your profile
again every time you update it and make
sure people know how far you’ve got to
go to reach your target!
Start fundraising early
The earlier you share your profile,
the more you’re likely to raise. Asking your
friends and family first will help get the ball
rolling and will encourage other people
to donate.
Need more materials?
Visit our website at
www.aspirechannelswim.co.uk
to download more sponsorship forms,
progress charts or posters, and help
spread the word.
There are lots of other great ways
to raise money too...
Join us on Facebook and Twitter
Every week during the Aspire Channel Swim we’ll be giving you new fundraising ideas to
help you achieve and surpass your target. Here are just a few to get you thinking:
Quiz night
Everyone loves a quiz! Hold your own and
put the proceeds towards your total.
Cake sale
Cake sales are a great way to get that
sponsorship rolling in. Ask your work,
school or club if you can hold a cake
sale and get baking!
Halloween party
Week eight of the swim is Halloween,
so hold a party to celebrate your
achievements and raise an extra bit
for Aspire.
What else can you do?
Why not be brave and ask your company
to support you? Some companies operate
a Matched Giving Scheme, donating £1
for every £1 you raise.
Shout about it!
On Facebook, Twitter, your blog, to your
friends, at work, through emails or over
the phone! Most importantly shout about it
to the local press; after all, swimming the
Channel isn’t something you do every day!
If you want to send a press release, we can
help – email us at [email protected].
If you’ve got any other great ideas let us know at [email protected]
Emily Hinshelwood took part in the
Aspire Channel Swim in 2013 for the
first time and raised £1,846.
“Every eight hours, someone in the UK is paralysed by
Spinal Cord Injury and this is what happened to my very
close friend, Rache. In 2012, whilst marking her class’s
homework, she suffered a spinal attack which left her
paraplegic. Although I did the swim to raise money for
Aspire, I also did it to honour her determination and strength in getting her life back
together following her illness. Since I took part in the swim, she has now gone back to
her job as a teacher in a primary school.
My daughter Eira also decided to do the swim with me. We enjoyed going together to
the pool – sometimes as early as 6am before school! Finding the time to swim wasn’t
always easy, but knowing that I would eventually reach ‘France’ kept me focused.
By taking part in the Aspire Channel Swim, I got fit and lost weight, and I have now
registered to do the Aspire Solent Swim in 2014!”
Swimming tips
These training tips are
recommended by Simone
Benhayon, Zoggs UK
‘Learn to Swim’ Ambassador.
Simone directs and runs the highly acclaimed Creative Aquatic swimming centre
in Frome, Somerset which was voted ASA Swim School of the Year in 2013.
Simone was also awarded ASA Swimming Teacher of the Year in 2008 and
FUNdamental Swimming Teacher of the Year for the South West in 2011.
Location
Make sure to check out your pool’s opening hours and times of aqua classes to see when
is best for you to swim.
Preparation and programming
Set a programme that is easy to commit to at a steady pace. You have 12 weeks to swim
22 miles, so don’t push yourself too hard!
Good kit
Make sure you have chosen a costume and goggles you are comfortable with and feel
confident using when you’re swimming those lengths.
Rest
Give yourself regular rest days – Days of no swimming are important to give the body time
to recover and rest.
Visit www.aspirechannelswim.co.uk or call 0800 0370 880
Stretch
Stretching is important, not only before your swim but also for 3 to 5 minutes after. This
can be done in the water or on pool side, whichever your feel more comfortable with.
Strokes
Avoid only swimming what you’re comfortable with, favouring the stroke you like – try
working on different strokes as you swim!
Hydration
Even though you are in water, you will sweat quite a lot! It’s important to keep up hydration
during and after the swim.
Warm up
A warm up is very important, even when swimming slowly. Start with a slow steady stroke
with nice easy breaths so as not to add pressure to the lungs or body.
Cool down
It’s important to give your body a chance to recover, so make sure to cool down properly
in order to prevent your muscles from aching!
Breathing
To ensure that your stroke can be sustained, it’s important to focus on a smooth
rhythmical breath.
Food
To keep up your energy, eat something light an hour before you get into the water and
make sure to eat a varied and balanced diet throughout the 12 weeks to help your
muscles to recover.
Why not visit www.swim4fitness.com and register now for
your totally FREE online Swimming Fitness Programme.
/ZoggsUK
@ZoggsUK
Meet some of the Aspire Channel Swim
2013 swimmers!
Lucy Buckley was the top individual
fundraiser in 2013.
Lucy, aged 9, took part in the Aspire Channel Swim
for the first time in 2013 and raised £2,120, enough
to fund a grant for a lightweight wheelchair.
“I wanted to take part and raise money in the Aspire
Channel Swim because I know some people are not
as lucky as me and I wanted to help make their lives
easier. I found people were really happy to sponsor me –
everyone was so generous and very encouraging whilst
I was swimming my lengths!
I did all of the challenge on my own, so it was a lot of swimming, but I finished in 7 weeks
and I decided to swim back again. I chose to do this swim all by myself, but anyone, of
any age can take part. When I finished the challenge, I was proud that I had achieved
something, but mostly I was pleased that I had helped make a difference to somebody
else’s life, and would do it all again.”
Ripples Aqua School
The top fundraising team for 2013 was Ripples
Aqua School, from County Down. They took part
in the Aspire Channel Swim as a team of seven
and raised an amazing £3,130.40, enough to
fund a grant for a lightweight wheelchair and
adapted laptop for someone with a Spinal
Cord Injury.
“We took part in the Aspire Channel Swim 2013
to raise awareness of the work Aspire does.
Everyone loved having a challenge that our new
swim school could work towards, it brought all the
swimmers together and made us a stronger team.
All of the team found the swimming a challenge at first – especially finding the time
around work and school, but by the end we had all swum the 22 miles at least once each,
and some of us even managed to swim back to Dover, or even further! We asked our
friends, family, schools and work for sponsorship – they were very generous when they
saw all the hard work we were putting in! We would do it again in a heartbeat. It is such a
good cause and a great excuse to get fit and take time out from everyday life.”
Who benefits from your hard work?
For information about our services please visit www.aspire.org.uk
Prizes for Aspire fundraisers
£25
£150
£450
£1000
Aspire Channel Swim
2014 medal
For everyone who raises
over £25.
Zoggs Tide goggles
These goggles have an easy
adjust strap and clear fogbuster
impregnated anti-fog lenses.
Perfect for every swimmer!
Zoggs poolside backpack
A must-have for every swimmer.
Designed specifically for swimmers
with separate wet and dry storage
compartments.
Kindle
Holding up to 1,400 books, yet
still lighter than a paperback, the
Kindle is the perfect way to wind
down after a busy day of swimming.
We are delighted to have Zoggs supporting the Aspire Channel
Swim this year. Zoggs is the leading brand for swimwear
and accessories. Zoggs encourages all swimmers, whether
swimming for fitness or recreation to take part and, at the same
time, raise much needed funds for those living with Spinal Cord
Injury. The Aspire Channel Swim is truly an event for all swimmers,
everywhere. Don’t forget to visit www.zoggs.com for all your swimming essentials.
/ZoggsUK
@ZoggsUK
Please send to:
Freepost RTJB-EZAB-TCHZ, Aspire Channel Swim, Aspire National
Training Centre, Wood Lane, Stanmore, Middlesex HA7 4AP
Please make cheques payable to ‘Aspire’
Total online donations, e.g. JustGiving: £
Amount enclosed: £
Email
Contact number
Everyone who sends in their sponsorship will receive a certificate.
This paying in slip and your sponsorship
money needs to be with Aspire by
2nd March 2015
.
£1000 Kindle
£450 Zoggs Poolside backpack
£150 Zoggs Tide goggles
Please select one prize according to the
amount you have raised:
Address
Name
Paying in slip
The
Record card
33m
25m
20m
Pool length
708 lengths
1073 lengths
1416 lengths
1770 lengths
22 miles
The English Channel
in lengths:
50m
What do I do next?
Please send this completed
record card, together with your
sponsorship form and money
raised, to:
Freepost RTJB-EZAB-TCHZ
Aspire Channel Swim
Aspire National Training Centre
Wood Lane
Stanmore
Middlesex HA7 4AP
Please make cheques
payable to Aspire.
In return, we will send
you your Aspire Channel
Swim certificate.
Date
Lengths
Total
Date
Lengths
Total
Date
Lengths
You can also log your swim online at www.aspirechannelswim.co.uk
Total

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