A KEYNSHAM man with cerebral palsy hopes to inspire others to achieve their goals by swimming three miles in a lake for charity.
Ash Jenkins, aged 35, will be taking on the challenge at the Adam Walker open-water swimming lake in Lincolnshire in September.
He will be supporting Cerebral Palsy Plus, a charity that raises awareness and helps people of all ages in the Bristol area.
Ash has quadriplegic cerebral palsy, which affects all four limbs and means he has to use a wheelchair.
He said: “A lot of people don’t know there are many hidden signs, symptoms and afflictions that come on later in life with cerebral palsy, and the charity really helps raise awareness to things like that.”
At his first charity swim in September 2016, he swam a mile in three hours 48 minutes, achieving his personal target of completing it in under four hours.
Ash said: “Between then and now, I’ve had spinal rods put in to straighten the curvature in my spine, which was getting worse over the years due to my cerebral palsy.”
That surgery two years ago – which he described as “a massive undertaking that was really hard going” – inspired him to train for the more ambitious goal of swimming three miles in six hours this time – a much faster pace than he managed nine years ago.
He said: “It’s the competitive streak in me. I like to better myself. It’s going to be quite an achievement if I can do it.”
Because of the length of time he will be in the water, Ash will wear a wetsuit to protect himself from the cold. He will also wear a snorkel, as he cannot turn his mouth while swimming to breathe.
Although Ash will stop to take breaks, he will remain in the water throughout the attempt by holding onto a jetty or canoe to take food and water.
He said: “A team will be in the water with me because I can’t stand up, so if I get in trouble for whatever reason, they can pull the snorkel up so I can breathe. I don’t envisage that, but it’s just for safety.”
Ash will also be accompanied by a film crew making a self-produced documentary about a day in his life and how swimming is one of his great passions.
He said: “It will be shining a light on me as a personality but also on the people I’ve got around me and the support I’ve had through the years.”
He hopes to show the documentary at film festivals and also in the Bristol area at some stage in the future.
Ash has been a radio presenter in the past and enjoys watching jiu-jitsu. He has also done bungee jumps and indoor skydives, which involve hovering over a huge fan in a wind tunnel.
He said: “if I can inspire one person to do something they were really scared of, that would mean the world to me. It’s about pushing yourself in areas where you wouldn’t necessarily do so.”
Ash has so far raised more than £2,300 of his £10,000 target. To donate, visit https://tinyurl.com/c7w4wfv4
Pictured above, Ash Jenkins with Bristol actor and radio presenter Joe Sims
Below, Ash will need to use a snorkel to breathe because of his condition
