Katherine Kay’s 40 Miles in 40 Days Sea Swim in Memory of Amy Rogers
A huge thank you to Katherine Kay who took part in a sponsored 40 miles in 40 days sea swim in Poole, to honour the memory of her friend Amy Rogers. Katherine wanted to raise awareness and money for both APP and Winston’s Wish, a bereavement charity that provides emotional and practical support to children and their families after the death of a parent or sibling. Katherine started the sponsored sea swim in May and finished the 40 miles on 25th June, which would have been Amy’s 40th birthday.
Katherine said ‘Nearly three years ago, my wonderful, hilarious, big-hearted friend Amy was lost during a postpartum psychotic episode, five days after giving birth to her second son. She is missed so much by everyone who knew her.
Amy loved lots of things: playing the piano, chocolate cheesecake, Ryan Gosling… and swimming in the sea.
Katherine's friend, Amy
I’m raising money for two charities which helped Amy’s family after we tragically lost her; Action on Postpartum Psychosis and Winston’s Wish.
Wish me luck… and wish Amy a Happy 40th in your own way. She loved a celebration!’
Katherine swam along Branksome beach, as well as in Osmington Mills, for the duration of her challenge, and said ‘The first ten days were pretty hard, seeing as the weather was windy and rainy and the sea conditions were rough. But since the weather has improved, a lot of my swims have been so beautiful. I’ve been doing a lot of my swims before the morning school run, so I have been in the sea around 5.30am. One morning, the full moon was still out, which was pretty magical.
After my final swim, Amy's family and I drank champagne on the beach and raised a glass to her. I have been absolutely blown away with what I have raised so far. People have been really generous. Everyone who met Amy loved her, so the amount is a testament to how loved she was’.
Katherine has raised more than £9,600. We would like to say a huge thank you to Katherine for supporting both APP and Winston’s Wish, and to all who have donated. You can still visit and donate to Katherine’s fundraising page here.
If you have been inspired by Katherine, we would love to support any fundraising ideas you have. Get in touch here.
