Our Fundraising Heroes - Nick

It’s time we took a moment to have a chat with one of our Fundraising Heroes. Last year, Nick took on an epic Summer of Swimming challenge to raise funds for our projects and highlight the impact we make.

We wanted to know more about his fundraising journey and why he chose AAM. Here he is speaking with Marketing and Community Fundraising Coordinator Lauren.   

Hi, Nick. How are you? 

I’m doing very well thank you. 

So, what made you want to fundraise for AAM? 

In short, my big sister Katie. She’s been a part of AAM (originally joining Hands & Voices) for over 20 years. Katie lives with Williams Syndrome and is hard of hearing. Being able to practice sign language with others is very important for her.AAM gives her that. 

Last year, you challenged yourself to a Summer of Swimming, which included lots of outdoor swims in freezing water. What was the hardest part of the challenge? 

There were lots of individual challenges. There was the cold water, night swimming, saltwater chaff, and keeping my mind occupied while staring into murky water or the bottom of a pool for hours.  The hardest part by far was having to stop my solo Channel attempt. I’d done so much training and preparation - it left me really disappointed.

A few weeks later, I was able to digest all that I'd managed to do over the year. It was then I realised I wanted to attempt the challenge again in a few years! 

In the end, you raised an incredible £2,080 for AAM, which we think is AAM-azing. Tell us how you went about raising the funds, how did you get the word out? 

Social media is a great way to reach a wide audience, however, I found that mine has a lot of people I don’t see much anymore, so it was slow-going. My donations took off when I spoke to people about my challenge in person.

Once I’d reached out at work, to my swimming and water polo teams and to close friends it brought in a lot of donations. My family also shared my challenges, which helped, too. 

We're so grateful for your support. Do you think you'll be setting your sights on any challenges for 2023 or will you be taking a well-deserved break?  

I found that after my solo attempt it was important for me to have something to work towards this year. So, I’ve entered an event to swim the length of Coniston in June! It’s the last of the three big English lakes, so I wanted to get it ticked off.

Recently, I was approached about joining a channel relay team in September, an opportunity I jumped at. It won’t need anywhere near as much training as my solo attempt and should be a great experience. This time, we’ll be raising money for Mencap, so it’s also for a good cause. 

A massive thank you to Nick for taking the time out to answer our questions, and most importantly, for being an AAM-azing Fundraising Hero.  

Want to become our next fundraising hero? Email Lauren at hello@aamedia.org.uk to chat about your fundraising idea and to ask for your free fundraising pack, today!