MALVERN Hills District Council chairperson Coun Beverley Nielsen completed the second of three challenges she set herself, to raise funds for St Richard’s Hospice.
On a baking hot day, with temperatures soaring to 31°, Coun Nielsen was amongst 64 people to complete the Sprint Triathlon with 89 finishers of the Standard Triathlon.
For Coun Nielsen this event was her first ever Triathlon and she was pleased to complete it as the tenth female finisher and the first and only finisher in her age group.
She said: “I’d like to thank Malvern Triathlon for their support in enabling me to complete the event, never having done a triathlon before.
“Their training sessions which I’ve attended over the past two months have been really inspiring and I’ve been made to feel so welcome. I’d thoroughly recommend joining to anyone thinking of doing a triathlon or just interested in run, swim or bike training.
“I’m thrilled to have completed the race which included a 750m swim down the River Severn – surprisingly warm and lovely; a 21km cycle and a 5km run to the finish.
“Upton upon Severn looked really beautiful and it was heartening to see crowds of people cheering all the swimmers on from the Upton bridge.
“I’d like to thank the organisers who made it such a special event – it was pretty straightforward to make each of the transitions, with excellent signage, so it was really simple and non-stressful to follow the route.
“We’re very lucky in Malvern Hills to have so many sporting events to enjoy and to be able to count on so many volunteers to support these sorts of activities.
“I’ve managed to raise almost £800 so far but would really like to hit my target of £1,000 for these two events.
Coun Nielsen is holding a charity fashion show for the hospice this September at Malvern Town Football Club.
She said: “I’ve been overwhelmed by the support I’ve received so far with 20 female models, 15 young volunteer models still at the Chase School Malvern, and 12 male models. I’ll be posting interviews with all our models on social media, so do keep a look out.
“I’d also like to thank the businesses in Malvern who couldn’t have been more generous.
“Fabulous raffle prizes have been donated by Malvern Theatres, Morgan Cars, the Abbey Hotel, Faun, Bar Limon, Austin and Co, the Three Horseshoes, Malvern Lounge, Chocolate Avenue and Sweet Street. We’ll also be auctioning a picture painted on the evening by well-known Malvern artist, Phil Ironside.”
