The love story behind Gemma’s charity swim
A Brodick mum is undertaking a charity swimming challenge for a cause which is very close to her heart.
Gemma Ferguson will swim a total of five miles – which is 403 lengths of the Auchrannie pool – during November to raise money for the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation.
However, there is story behind Gemma’s reason for choosing this charity.
Gemma, who is a veterinary assistant at Arran Vets, told the Banner: ‘Firstly, I came across the challenge on Facebook. I thought it would be a good idea as it would keep me motivated and that it is a good charity too. Secondly, my step-grandfather, Iain McNeil, passed away with lung cancer in 1993.’
As she explained: ‘My grandmother, Valerie McNeil, visited Blackpool on her 17th birthday. At the fairground there was a place where people could dance.
‘A tall, dark, handsome man dressed in Royal Air Force uniform asked my grandmother to dance. She danced with Iain that day expecting never to see him again. She never forgot that day.
‘My grandmother worked in a local bar in Liscard on the Wirral in Merseyside.
‘One day she served a gentleman like every other customer; little did she know that the gentleman was the tall, dark, handsome man that she danced with on her 17th birthday on October 18, 1953. Iain asked Valerie if she remembered him, which she didn’t, so he reminded her.
‘Ever since their reunion, they started to see more of each other and married in 1985.
‘Iain is the reason I came to live on Arran. Iain was evacuated to Arran as a child during the Second World War and stayed in Lamlash. He always wanted to come back to Arran to visit and holidayed here every year.
Holidays
‘My family then came to Arran for regular holidays and eventually moved to Arran in 1996.
‘So it’s a bit of a love story. From what I remember of Iain, he was a very caring man. We all loved him very much. I am proud to be raising money for lung cancer research in his memory.
‘I am doing this in my very limited spare time – fitting it around working, volunteering for Arran Coastguard Rescue Team, a mother of two girls and a wife too. I would like to thank everyone who has supported me, especially my husband John and his parents, Dougie and
Pat, for looking after the girls so I can nip to the pool for an hour or so. I would also like to thank my grandmother Valerie McNeil who lives in Pirnmill for sharing her story with us all.’
Gemma has set up a JustGiving page where people can donate via her Facebook page. If anyone who does not have Facebook would like to donate, they can pop into the vets and leave their donation there.