A woman who tragically lost both of her parents in the space of two years has completed a sea swim challenge in their memory.
Charlotte James, 29, took part in the Bournemouth Pier to Pier Swim to raise money for the British Heart Foundation (BHF).
In March 2019, Charlotte’s mum, Jayne, passed away from a cardiac arrest at the age of 59. And, sadly, Charlotte’s dad, Tim, died in April this year at the age of 65.
Charlotte, from Blackley, said: “It’s been an unbelievably difficult two years. Losing my parents was never on my radar. I thought they would be around for another 20 years. It makes you feel a little hard done by. Luckily, I have a very good network of friends and family who look out for us. I don’t know how I would have coped without them.
READ MORE:
“The one thought that gives me comfort is that they were both such positive people. So, while their lives were cut short, they without doubt enjoyed the life they lived. Despite what has happened, I know they wouldn’t me to be down.”
To remember her parents, Charlotte, and her brother Dan, decided to take part in the Bournemouth Pier to Pier Swim. They were joined by 14 family friends who also completed the swim.
The event holds special significance for Charlotte as her father regularly took part in the swim prior to his death. The event, which is now in its 30th year, sees people swim the 1.4m from Bournemouth to Boscombe Pier. So far, Charlotte and her friends have raised over £2,000 for the BHF.
Charlotte, who works as an operations manager, said: “When dad died, the Covid restrictions made it impossible to give him a good send off. Everyone wanted to know what we were going to mark what had happened and celebrate his life. That’s when we came up with the idea of doing the pier to pier.
“Dad loved swimming in the sea and taking part in this event. Mum would never join him, but she was always happy lifeguarding on the beach.
“It was brilliant that so many people took up the challenge to take part in the swim with me. I was really overwhelmed by all the support we’ve received.”
In the UK, heart and circulatory disease causes more than 160,000 deaths each year. The BHF funds research into all heart and circulatory diseases, including heart disease, stroke, vascular dementia and its risk factors, including high blood pressure and diabetes
Lee Sumner, Events Manager at the BHF, said: “We’re incredibly grateful that Charlotte and her friends have chosen to take on this very personal challenge in aid of the BHF.
“Our life-saving research is fuelled by the generous donations of the public, but the devastating impact of the Covid-19 pandemic means that our investment in new research could fall by £50 million this year.
“That’s why we need the support of the public to back the BHF now, more than ever.”
