Mid Sussex Mother & Daughter Set To Make A Big Splash Globally
On Sunday, March 31, it is Mother’s Day, an opportunity for offsprings across Britain, no matter their age to give thanks to their mothers and the motherly figures in their lives. One Mid Sussex-based mother and daughter swimming duo are hoping this year is their year to make a big splash globally.
A sporting mother and daughter from Mid Sussex have successfully met their initial fundraising
target as they set their eyes on competing at the FINA World Masters Championships in South Korea later this year.
Mum Sally Mills, 63, although originally from Yorkshire, has lived in Sussex for nearly 50 years, she retired three years-ago and since then has been putting in the lengths and making a splash
at her local swimming pool.
Sally says: “I have competed on-and-off over the years, in the 1990s, I swam at masters level for ten years, competing at three world championships, I won medals at each for butterfly event. In 1996 I won gold at Sheffield with Haywards Heath (now Mid Sussex Marlins) relay team. We also broke the world record. I gave up in 1999 as I went back to work full-time and could not manage the training needed.’
“I started again when I retired at 60, since then I have won bronze in my first European event with only five months of training. At the Worlds I won silver for 200 butterfly and bronze for the 100, at the Europeans last year, I won the full house – gold for 200 fly, silver for 100 fly and bronze for the 50 fly. I am also British champion and record holder and European short course
record holder for the 200 fly.”
Daughter Lisa Mills, 39, grew up watching her mum competing, and it was Sally who taught Lisa and Lisa’s sister to swim. Lisa became a member of Worthing Lifeguard Corps until she was 21 which saw her compete for the RLSS (Royal Life Saving Society) competition squad. After some years away, she was motivated to dip her toe in the water once again after witnessing the sporting success her mum was enjoying.
Speaking about the motivation for sporting duo, Lisa says: “Watching mum returning to the sport motivated me to follow in her footsteps, after she competed at the last world championships in Budapest, I began training. I’ve had my 8-year-old daughter by my side as well, cheering us both on at competitions – developing herself, showing her what determination, motivation and hard work does.”
To make the trip to the Far East possible, the pair needed to fundraise to help get them there, Lisa said: “I decided to fundraise for the opportunity to then compete at an international level, something that I’m motivated to do, but could not possible do on my own without raising vital funds. After discussions with club representatives and committee members, we created the crowdfunding page at JustGiving.”
Each month, Lisa updates the crowdfunding page, with results from competitions Mid Sussex Marlins have swam at, and information about fundraising events the group has organised. Following a fundraiser at the beginning of last month, Lisa and Sally’s attendance in Gwangju to represent Great Britain was confirmed when their target was met, they continue to fundraise for transfer and accommodation costs.
[box type=”shadow” align=”” class=”” width=””]Help The Sussex Swimmers Reach South Korea
To help Lisa and Sally, and the rest of the Mid Sussex Marlins team meet the costs of transfers and accommodation in Gwangju in South Korea, visit: www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/lisa-mills-1
[/box]
