Please note: this is an old article
It was published in February 2017, so the information may be out-of-date.
Swimmers will make a mega splash when they hit the water at the Shepparton MS 24-Hour Mega Swim at Aquamoves.
Kicking off at noon on Saturday, February 18, continuing until noon Sunday, February 19, the swim is designed to raise awareness about people living with Multiple Sclerosis and raise funds for the Go For Gold scholarships.
The scholarships are open to people living with MS to help them achieve a dream, such as travel, study or a business opportunity.
Damien Stevens is the organiser behind the Shepparton swim at Aquamoves and said his involvement came back to personal experiences with the disease.
‘‘My mum has Multiple Sclerosis, she’s had it for about 30 years and the last 10 years has been challenging for her and my dad and my family in relation to her health and deterioration,’’ Mr Stevens said.
Last year more than 50 swimmers helped raise almost $20 000. This year the aim was make the event bigger and fill the pool.
The swim sees teams of about eight or 10, sometimes bigger or smaller, aim to have at least one person swimming in the pool for the entire 24 hours.
‘‘It’s a fun event, it’s designed not to be a competition, it’s designed to be about participation,’’ Mr Stevens said.
‘‘The more the merrier, people are welcome to come down and watch. The Lions Club will be serving free dinner and breakfast so spectators, swimmers and people who just want to donate are welcome to get involved.’’
Mr Stevens said there would be awards up for grabs for the best-dressed team, for the team who could swim the most amount of laps, the team who raised the most amount of money or the individual who raised the most amount of funds.
He said council was ‘‘very much on board supporting the event’’ with Greater Shepparton City Council Mayor Dinny Adem set to attend Aquamoves on Saturday to officially launch the swim.
- Anyone interested in taking part in the Mega Swim should go to www.msmegaswim.org.au or phone Damien Stevens on 0418 511 562.
Article curtesy of The Shepparton News from 11 January 2017. Written by Taylah Burrows. Photo by Holly Curtis.