A FITTING TRIBUTE
As triathletes we know how important our sports coaches are and the value they bring to our clubs. At Black Country Triathletes (BCT) we were lucky to have a very special swimming coach for nearly 20 years. Unfortunately, Alan was diagnosed with motor neurone disease (MND) in the summer of 2022 and he sadly passed away in late September.
He’s given so much to so many people at our triathlon club, enabling them to swim distances they thought they would never achieve, complete triathlon races where the swim seemed impossible and giving us confidence in the water and beyond. He always delivered interesting and challenging swim sessions with passion and a wonderful humour.
As a tribute to Alan, on Wednesday 28 December 2022, 50 BCT members took part in a 24hr charity swim to raise money for and awareness of MND. In multiple teams of two, each team swam 24 miles over 24 hours, with every swimmer covering 12 miles each (768 lengths).
The sense of camaraderie, teamwork and support between all of the swimmers and volunteers at this very emotional event is something that will stay with us all for a very long time.
Our goal was to try and raise £24,000 for MND but we smashed that total and are now past £32,000! We’re very grateful to everyone who donated and supported us and, in the true triathlon spirit, a big thank you to our neighbours at Stafford Tri Club for their very generous contribution.
Andy Southall & Cheryl Blewitt 220 replies: What a fantastic way to honour someone who clearly gave so much to so many others during his life. If any readers would like to donate you can do so via this link: justgiving.com/ fundraising/BCT24.
“Alan gave so much to so many at our club, and had a wonderful sense of humour”