By Deanna Corrieri | posted on January 22, 2021
AS THE Starlight Children’s Foundation annual Super Swim challenge draws near, a trio of ladies in Albany are training hard in preparation for their big swim to support sick kids in need.
Mica Idle, Jackie Riddell and Brooke Pearson make up Team Mermaids Albany and starting on January 26 until February 24, they are each swimming 14km to raise funds for the Starlight Children’s Foundation.
Ms Idle and Ms Riddell are keen swimmers, having previously participated in the Harbour Swim, and wanted to find an opportunity to swim more when they came across the Starlight Swim Challenge.
Both ladies train in fitness with Ms Pearson who jumped on board with the challenge.
“Swimming is a bit of a nemesis for me, so I love to do things I am not good at,” Ms Pearson said.
“As a mum, you would hope that your children are never in that situation, so if we can offer them a little bit of funding to fulfil some dream that they’ve got, then that’s the icing on the cake.”
With all three working and being mothers, they noted they have to fit in the swim with their daily lives.
“My daughter is in swim club, I’m just going to hop in every time she’s in the water and just bust some out,” Ms Riddell said.
The team have been inspired to do the challenge, in a mix of pool and ocean swimming at Middleton Beach, in hopes of raising $500 to donate to Starlight for the good work they do for sick children in hospital.
“One of the things that appealed to me is that they do fun stuff for kids that are in hospital,” Ms Idle said.
“The fact that they bring fun and happiness to kids is really appealing.”
Former professional Olympic swimmer and Starlight ambassador Libby Trickett said the Starlight Rooms in hospitals bring happiness to kids and needs all the support it can get.
“Starlight Express Rooms create such a positive and happy atmosphere for the kids in hospitals- inside the rooms they get to be a kid again and that deserves to have as much help and support as it possibly can,” she said.
The Starlight Foundation uses play, social connection and creativity to bring happiness to sick children and young people to have a positive change in their healthcare experience.
If you wish to donate to Team Mermaids Albany, you can head to https://superswim.org.au/t/team-mermaids-albany