Share with:
TV presenter Alex Jones joins forces with four inspirational mums to kick off a gruelling set of five challenges across the country for Sport Relief
TV presenter Alex Jones today joined four amazing mums to embark on the epic Mother of All Challenges for Sport Relief. This test of a lifetime will see the five mums push themselves to the limit as they face a series of five punishing challenges across six days - including swimming in Loch Ness, cycling through the Lake District and caving in Wales.
Today the mums began their battle with the bone chilling waters of Scotland’s most famous lake, Loch Ness. With a frightening depth of 240 metres, the team will plunge into a relay swim across a section of the 23 miles long loch. Apart from the small matter of Nessie purportedly lurking deep beneath the surface, the water is painfully freezing with an average temperature of just five degrees Celsius in March. In these frigid temperatures, the mums will need to dig deep with the risk of hypothermia always on their mind.
Speaking this morning ahead of the swim, Alex said: [INSERT QUOTE]
The four mums are:
• Amal Hassan, 31, a mum of one from London. Amal is a trained doctor specialising in Sports Medicine.
• Debbie Williams, 50, a mum of four from Bristol. Debbie is a support worker for adults with learning difficulties.
• Jodi Dowse, 28, a mum of two from Bristol. Jodi works at BlueBell, a charity providing emotional wellbeing services to families during pregnancy and after birth.
• Leigh McLean, 44, a mum of three from Glasgow. Leigh works for a construction company.
What’s coming up for the mums?
• Starting at Loch Ness on Sunday 11th March – Mother’s Day – the team will brave the freezing cold as they swim a section of Scotland’s most famous loch.
• Day two on 12th March will see the team lace up their hiking boots as they try to conquer Helvellyn via Swirral Edge in the Lake District.
• On Tuesday 13th March, the team will test their endurance; cycling up three of the Lake District’s toughest passes: the Kirkstone Pass, Hornister Pass and Newslands Pass.
• Our mums will next travel to Alex’s home country of Wales. On 15th March, they will head deep underground, crawl their way through tight passages and a maze of dark caverns to make it out of Porth Yr Ogof cave in the Brecon Beacons.
• Friday 16th March will culminate in a marathon finish. Our fearless mums will tackle a relay coastal run across the hilly Welsh coast. The test will finally end with a triumphant crossing over the finish line in Swansea.
Out intrepid team of mums want the public to support their efforts with donations to help vulnerable people in the UK and across the world live happier, healthier and safer lives as well as raise awareness of maternal health issues. Maternal health is one of the causes funded by Sport Relief money and something close to the group’s hearts as each of the four mums have experienced their own maternal health issues.
You can sponsor the team at SportRelief.com/mums.
For the first time ever Sport Relief 2018 is asking the entire nation to take on a huge collective challenge – beating a billion steps a day, every day, from 17th-23rd March. For more information on how to get involved with this year’s Sport Relief campaign, download the Sport Relief App or go to sportrelief.com.
ENDS
For media enquiries contact:
Harsha Sharma
07738735562 / H.Sharma@comicrelief.com
Sophie Moran
020 7820 2534 / S.Moran@comicrelief.com
For image enquiries contact:
Lucille Flood
0795899168 / l.flood@comicrelief.com
Photography team
Photography@comicrelief.com
Sport Relief brings the nation together to get active, raise money and change lives. Since 2002, Sport Relief has raised over £335 million. The money raised by the public will be spent by Comic Relief to tackle the critical issues affecting people across the UK and the world. This year, Sport Relief culminates in a week of activity from Saturday 17th to Friday 23rd March, leading to an unmissable night of TV on the BBC.
NOTES TO EDITORS:
Comic Relief is a UK charity which aim to create a just world, free from poverty – where everyone is safe, healthy, educated and empowered. Since 1985, Comic Relief has raised over £1 billion. That money has helped, and is helping, people living incredible tough lives, both here at home in the UK and across the world.
For information about Comic Relief and the work it carries out, please visit comicrelief.com.
Comic Relief, registered charity 326568 (England/Wales); SC039730 (Scotland).
For the latest news, statements and exclusive content direct from the Comic Relief Press Office follow @ComicReliefNews(opens in new window).
