Geolin takes the plunge to raise much needed funds for dog charity

Lisburn woman Geolin Walsh is braving the icy waters and taking the plunge to raise money for Lucy’s Trust, an animal charity close to her heart,
Geolin Walsh takes the plunge for charityGeolin Walsh takes the plunge for charity
Geolin Walsh takes the plunge for charity

Geolin only recently started open water swimming but has loved it so much that she decided to use her new found passion to fund one of her other passions, animal welfare, by supporting the local charity Lucy’s Trust.

“I attended a natural resilience course last March, run by a guy called Ciaran May,” explained Geolin. “Part of this course was a cold water emersion in the sea, amongst other scary stuff.

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“I very nearly let that put me off, as i wasn’t a great swimmer, hadn’t swam in many year in a pool let alone the sea, and I had a fear of open water. I am not very body confident and the thought of putting on a swim suit horrified me, and getting changed afterwards as well.”

One of the dogs being looked after by Lucy's TrustOne of the dogs being looked after by Lucy's Trust
One of the dogs being looked after by Lucy's Trust

However, despite her fears, Geolin decided to be brave and take the plunge. “I wanted to challenge myself and thought if I was going too do it I wanted to do it properly and learn how too swim in the sea,” she continued. “I looked for an open water swimming coach and Colin Mccard came very highly recommended.

“I had my first lesson last April. It was freezing, I got cramp, I was terrified, but, I loved it and have been taking open sea swimming lessons ever since. It took weeks too overcome my fears of being out of my depth, and actually learning how to swim, especially putting my face in the water, but it was all possible with the patience of a fantastic coach Colin. I feel ready to swim a distance and hopefully raise as much money as I can for the charity I volunteer at Lucy’s Trust.”

Run by Olivia Kenned, who is a veterinary surgeon, and her partner Rob Durston, Lucy’s Trust, which is based near Lisburn, is a sanctuary for dogs who cannot be rehomed due to behavioural issues, or those that are in most need of a rescue place, and/or assistance to overcome their difficulties to become happy healthy dogs once again.

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“This past two years has seen a significant rise in the number of dogs Lucy’s Trust have been asked to take in with behavioural problems,” explained Geolin. “I am deeply saddened in the knowledge that many of these dogs are being put to sleep, young healthy dogs, who with the right commitment and guidance from their guardians could have gone on to live happy lives. This is not the fault of our struggling animal rescues, who can only take in the numbers they can actively care for.

“Every rescue that I know of has been inundated with dogs in the last year. The current developing situation can only be referred to as a crisis. As a country we are failing our dogs on an unprecedented level, and I are really urging the general public to step up and take responsibility for the dog which they chose to procure. Please contact Lucy’s Trust for behavioural advice and recommendations for local positive reinforcement trainers who will help you to help your dog. Giving them up is not the answer, it is not a solution,”

To help Lucy’s Trust continue their work, Geolin is planning to swim 300m-800 metres at Helen’s Bay. If you would like to support Geolin’s fundraising effort, visit https://gofund.me/ef8451d7.

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