A MARATHON 10-hour paddle was worth the hard slog insists hospital clerical officer, Clare McGovern,
Clare, 59, embarked on a 26-mile kayaking challenge last weekend from Crom Tower all the way to Devenish Tower to raise money for local cancer charity, SWELL.
Despite initially hoping to raise £500, many flooded to Clare’s Just Giving page to chip and – at the time of writing – a whopping £2,673 had been raised.
“It went very well,” said Clare who is originally from Swanlibar but has lived in Enniskillen since 1997.
“We were on the water at 7am and finished at 5pm. We were supported by friends at the stopping points at the jetties of Carrybridge and Bellanaleck who arranged wee tea parties for us all.
“Lets just say that when we reached Carrybridge I was gasping for a cup of tea.
“Then at the finish, there was a birthday cake waiting for me as I had turned 59 three days before.”
You’d be forgiven for thinking if Clare, who paddles with the Erne Paddlers and Blue Green Yonder clubs, would be keen to give the kayaking a rest. However…
“You know what I did the next day? I went out kayaking. Although the day afterwards my bones did feel a bit ‘achey’ but I was generally fine.”
Clare was pleased that she was able to help a local charity close to her heart.
She continued: “SWELL is a charity that helps people with cancer and, as they are based here, I thought it would be good for the money to stay in Fermanagh so I decided to raise money for them.
“I lost both my mum and dad to cancer so the fact the money is staying in Fermanagh is a big thing for me.”
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