Daughter swims in Sally's memory

Claire and her family set up the Sally Allan Fund after Sally took her own life, as the result of a private battle with mental illness. Sally disappeared from her Darras Hall home on Boxing Day 2015. In February 2016, her body was found by the River Tyne at Jarrow.

The fund was created to help reduce stigma and raise awareness of mental-health problems and to create better mental health in the North East.

Delivered in partnership with the charity Tyneside and Northumberland Mind, their vision is to provide a free 30-minute presentation to organisations or groups. The presentations encourage people to think about their own mental health, how they can help others and why we need to end the stigma and discrimination that surrounds it.

Claire is not only taking on the Great North Swim’s one-mile swim in Windermere this Saturday, but also challenging herself to step up to the two-mile course at the Great Scottish Swim on Saturday, August 26, in Loch Lomond.

Claire said: “Swimming is the perfect challenge to do in my mum’s memory as she was the one who gave me my passion for the sport from an early age. By sharing our story and raising money, we hope no other family we have to suffer our tragic loss.”