A Derbyshire man who raised more than £5,000 for charity by swimming the English Channel has been presented with a prestigious company award and a further £500 for good causes.
Paul Robinson, 36, of Risley, took 13 hours to complete the epic swim which he undertook earlier this year to raise funds for Rainbows Children’s Hospice, in Loughborough.
His efforts allowed him to present the charity, which looks after children with life-limiting illnesses and their families from across the East Midlands, with a cheque for £5,271.
Now Paul, who works as a commercial manager for Lubrizol, in Hazelwood, has been given the firm’s Christine Sewell Charity and Community Award in recognition of his commitment to raising money.
He also receives a donation of £500 from the company which he intends to pass on to Rainbows, which requires £6m each year to keep open and estimates it has lost £1m because of the Covid-19 crisis.
Paul raised more money than he expected, not least because the original date for the challenge was postponed due to the weather conditions, so he was forced to keep training for a further 12 months.
Paul said: “I ended up spending two years training for the swim, but the delay ended up benefitting me because I had an extra year to fundraise. This meant more people sponsored me and some even donated twice.
“I was only expecting to raise around £2,000 so I’m delighted to have exceeded that amount, especially at a time when charities are very much in need of financial support.
“Lubrizol sponsored me to the tune of £500 originally and now the donation that comes with the Christine Sewell Award will also go to Rainbows, which I know they will be grateful for.”
The swim meant negotiating the two busy shipping lanes which take hundreds of vessels, including container ships and supertankers, up and down the Channel.
Paul was stung all over his body by jellyfish, including twice on his face and neck, and ended up swimming a total of 38 miles when a current swept him off course.
Paul was nominated for Lubrizol’s internal award by a colleague and notified of the win during an online meeting with his boss.
He added: “I was expecting a one-to-one meeting so I was surprised when I dialled into the conference call and so many other people – including general manager Alison Fisher and two managers in America – were all waiting for me.
“I could hear my wife listening at the door too which I thought was a bit strange. It turned out she was in on the surprise as well and she presented me with the trophy which she’d been hiding.
“It’s been two months since the swim, and I haven’t been doing much exercise, so it was a very nice reminder of the moment. I said I’d never do it again but your mind has a funny way of blocking out the bad bits and so I’m tempted to dream up another challenge for 2023 when I turn 40.
“Until then I’m going to support my wife Louise who is planning a Half Iron Man challenge next year. And then, who knows?”
ENDS
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