Seb, 11, takes on mammoth D Day swimming challenge to support Help for Heroes
“Help for Heroes is an amazing charity that supports brave servicemen and women who have been injured while protecting our country”
82 years ago this month (June 6) thousands of men made the ultimate sacrifice during the D Day landings, and to mark the occasion, an 11-year-old boy from Sunderland is taking on a mammoth challenge to raise money for the Armed Forces veterans charity, Help for Heroes.
Across the month of June, Sebastian Lyons, from Fulwell, will be swimming 47 kilometres, the combined length of the five D-Day landing beaches in Normandy: Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword.
Seb decided to take part in the Help for Heroes national challenge after learning about D Day in his school history lessons.
He said: “I have a number of family members, including my granddad, who’ve been in the Armed Forces and we’ve also been learning about World War Two in school.
“I saw the challenge online, I love to swim, and Help for Heroes is an amazing charity that supports brave servicemen and women who have been injured while protecting our country. They help veterans recover, rebuild their lives, and get the support they need.”
Seb, who swims for Sunderland City Platinum Squad at the Aquatic Centre, will be covering an average distance of 1.8km everyday and is already nearly 14km into his challenge.
He added: “The 47 kilometres I will swim represents the long and difficult journey many veterans face during their recovery. Every kilometre I complete is my way of showing support for the challenges they overcome every day.
“I’ve found the challenge okay so far and I’m confident I can do it.”
After setting himself a target of £250, Seb has already raised an impressive £1,500.
Seb’s mother, Cherelle Lyons, said: “Myself and my husband Peter are very proud of Seb. He’s progressed really well in his swimming and it’s great to see him wanting to do something to help such a worthy cause.”
Help For Heroes provides support to veterans and their families to improve their physical and mental health.
One person to benefit from the support of the charity is Sunderland Armed Forces Veteran Jim Holborn who was injured during his time in service.
Jim said: “Firstly I would like to wish Seb good luck in his challenge. When I heard that an 11-year-old was going to do a 47 km swimming challenge to raise funds for help for Help for Heroes, I thought it was absolutely amazing.
“The charity helps all injured military veterans across the UK, myself included. When I left the military due to injuries, I struggled with both physical and mental illness. Help for Heroes was there for me and the support, guidance and everything else they offered at the time gave me my life back, gave me a purpose, and made me who I am again.
“I really hope the military, veteran and public community can get behind Seb and show him some support and donate what they can.”
You can donate to Seb’s cause via his Help for Heroes fundraising page.