​Postwoman who bravely swam with sharks raises over £1,800 for charity

Postwoman Stephanie Wilson, 22 from Whitchurch, has raised more than £1,800 for the Stroke Association, after she took the plunge and braved her shark dive in December. Stephanie raised £930 through sponsorship from family and friends, before Royal Mail match funded the money raised.

Stephanie went face to face with a variety of sharks at the Blue Planet Aquarium in Cheshire. She volunteered to take on the challenge after the Stroke Association was chosen as Royal Mail Group’s Charity of the Year. Stephanie was also inspired by her sister Christine who is a Communication Support Coordinator for the charity, helping to support stroke survivors as they come to terms with a life after stroke.

The day began with Stephanie learning about the animals she would be diving with and the principles of scuba diving. Once she was kitted out with her scuba gear she entered the training pool to learn all the necessary skills, before taking the dive into the main tank. Cage free, she was accompanied by a collection of sharks including Sand Tiger sharks, Nurse sharks, Lemon sharks, Guitar sharks, Whitetips, Blacktips and Bamboo sharks. There were also some giant rays, and obviously a lot of fish!

Stephanie said: “I was inspired to take part in the dive to support the new Charity of the Year partnership. I also hear the impact that my sister has on the stroke survivors and the families that she supports in her day to day role.

“I was very excited on the day but as soon as I got into the training tank I suddenly became very nervous. It was hard dealing with the pressure on my head and ears but once I got used to it and relaxed it was amazing. My favourite part was how close the fish and sharks got. Some of the fish were more curious and we were able to sprinkle sand on them, which apparently in human terms is like going to a spa! It was a brilliant experience.

“I’m so grateful to everyone who has sponsored me and I’m thrilled with the amount raised. The money will go a long way in supporting the fantastic work the Stroke Association does, and will ensure they can be there for even more families who have been affected by stroke.”

Laura McMullin, Regional Fundraiser from the Stroke Association added, “Every year there are approximately 152,000 strokes in the UK. That's one stroke every three and a half minutes. Stroke changes lives. It can have a huge effect on you and your family. We rely on people like Stephanie to help change lives and together we can conquer stroke.”

Gary Grange, Community Investment Manager at Royal Mail, said: “It’s fantastic to see fundraisers like Stephanie supporting our Charity of the Year and doing everything they can to help us to raise vital funds in aid of Life after Stroke grants. In the next two years, we want to raise at least £2 million for the Stroke Association, so that we can change the lives of thousands of people affected by stroke.”

The Stroke Association was chosen as Royal Mail Group’s Charity of the Year after receiving almost 40,000 staff votes. The company aims to raise at least £2 million for the Stroke Association over the course of the partnership. Every penny raised will help the charity provide Life After Stroke grants of up to £300 to help 10,000 stroke survivors. These grants fund equipment to give stroke survivors more independence and support as they take their first steps back into the community.

For more information about stroke please contact 0303 3033 100 or go to www.stroke.org.uk. To find out more about taking part in a fundraising shark dive, visit: www.stroke.org.uk/sharkdive