Inverness woman Helen Beveridge is gearing up to swim 23 miles across the icy water of Loch Ness in aid of Highland Hospice.
Her employer, Morrison Construction, is closely connected to Highland Hospice while it rebuilds the charity’s In Patient Unit on Ness Walk, Inverness.
The firm’s environment and sustainability manager is supporting the drive to raise money for the hospice’s project build appeal which is ongoing until October, with about £750,000 needed to hit its £4.5million target.
Open water swimmer Ms Beveridge will wear only a swimsuit for the challenge in August, which she anticipates will take around 18 hours, depending on the conditions.
She said: “I chose to raise money for Highland Hospice in support of my company’s fundraising efforts for the charity and because I appreciate the essential services that the charity provides to people in the Highlands.”
She added: “Training is going a little better now that the evenings are lighter and the water is warming up. I find pool training difficult due to the lack of suitable session times and crowded lanes so prefer to train outdoors as much as possible, and we have a great choice of outdoor swim places around Inverness.
“The biggest challenge of Loch Ness is the cold water and the amount of time I will be immersed for. I am hoping to get a bright warm sunny day with the water above average temperature. A period of settled sunny weather prior to the swim will greatly help my chances of success.”