It’s estimated that every year in the UK, about 350 men and 50,000 women are diagnosed with cases of breast cancer.
There are a group of Serpentine swimmers who are doing their bit to help provide free support at the Haven for those suffering from this disease. But before these swimmers can support the Haven, they have been battling with ‘Cold TitW’.
Training and preparation for the swimmers involves regular team meets in cold water as they prepare to do a relay swim of the English Channel as part of their fund raising efforts for the Haven.
All swimmers take varying lengths of time to get ready to enter cold water and these relay swimmers agree on a time for entering the water rather than a time for meeting. ‘TitW’ is the acronym for the time of getting in the water; the Cold needs no explanation.
But back to the Haven which Kerry, Rupert and two Davids are swimming and fundraising for. Everyone is welcome at any of the Haven’s centres and there is no need for a referral.You may have recently been diagnosed, or completed your treatment, or you may be a relative or close friend of someone who has breast cancer. Whatever your situation, The Haven is prepared to help you. The Haven’s support and care is free and offers a wide range of emotional, physical and practical support which includes over 40 complementary therapies, counselling, nutritional advice, exercise classes, financial advice and support groups. They also run a range of courses and seminars.
The team of four Serpentine swimmers who all work together at Knight Frank are taking on the challenge of swimming the English Channel at the end of June for The Haven. The Channel is the 21 mile stretch of water that separates England from France. Swimmers from all over the world regard The English Channel as the ‘Everest of Swims’.
Each swimmer will swim over 5 miles in water temperatures of between 12C – 15C.
The members of the Serpentine relay team are
Kerry Cable – Lending Relationship Manager – Baker Street
David Hall – Sales Manager, Knight Frank Finance – Baker Street
David Pacitti – Property Manager – Baker Street
Rupert Nicholson – Negotiator – Clapham
The Haven is the working name of Breast Cancer Haven and is a charity close to Knight Frank’s heart. We aim to raise more than £10,000 for this wonderful charity and if you feel you wish to donate, our justgiving page is: we would really appreciate any donation (however small) to help us reach our target.The squad summed up their thoughts so far saying “swimming the Channel is a daunting challenge. However we are all embracing the training, and have been taking weekly early morning dips in the Serpentine, (under the guidance of Sami Robertson who swam the Channel solo last year). At times the water has been as cold as 5C. To put this in perspective the average bath water temperature is about 38C.”
Kind regards and thank you in advance, Rupert, Kerry, David P, David H (Twitter account)
[John Tierney]