Ronnie makes a splash with £10,000 charity swim for Haiti
IT wasn’t your usual sort of birthday celebration, but then Belfast businessman Ronnie Foreman doesn’t do things by halves.
This year, to mark his 65th birthday, the Belfast Port commissioner decided to make a splash by swimming 65 lengths of his local pool – and raising more than £10,000 for a charity dedicated to helping impoverished people in Haiti.
Ronnie, who recently completed the challenge at the David Lloyd complex in Dundonald in just over an hour , raised the money for Irish-based charity Haven which builds houses in Haiti and has been at the coalface helping survivors since the devastating earthquake in January.
The businessman was recently appointed Northern Ireland ambassador for the charity which has just launched here and aims to attract local volunteers for its ‘Build It’ Weeks during 2010. Haven is currently building latrines and providing temporary shelter for the thousands of Haitians who have been left homeless in the earthquake which is now believed to have killed 230,000 people.
Ronnie’s marathon swim, which amounted to over a mile, coincided with Haven’s first ‘Build It Week’ in Haiti, during which 260 volunteers built 41 houses, one basketball court and an extra classroom at a local school.
The money he has raised will now help the charity build a total of 1,000 new homes, upgrade 2,000 more and build community facilities in the Caribbean country by the end of 2011. It will also give a good head-start to this year’s two ‘Build It’ weeks scheduled to take place in April and October.
“Haven has been involved in life-changing work in Haiti and I was pleased to help raise funds for its work on the ground, helping improve the lives of local people,” said Ronnie. “Even before the earthquake, many of the locals lived in ramshackle huts and eked out an existence in a country which lacked the most basic necessities, such as electricity and good roads, which we take for granted.
“I wanted to do something significant to help and I suddenly hit on the idea of a swim – although I was only accustomed to swimming my usual 15 lengths, so upping my training regime to reach 65 was a bit daunting. The last five lengths were really tough, but, thanks to encouragement from friends, I managed to keep going.”
And was there an indulgent piece of birthday cake awaiting by the poolside? “Not exactly,” he confides. “A friend brought me out for a croissant and a cup of coffee, which was just as good. It was a novel and rewarding way to spend my 65th birthday, although I did feel a little tired afterwards. It was a very humbling experience and I am grateful to everyone who supported me.”
Anyone interested in finding out more about the charity or the ‘Build It’ weeks planned for 2010 should visit the Haven website at www.havenpartnership.com