Paralympic Champion Supports Children in Need Swimming Initiative

A swimmer who has secured four Paralympic gold medals provided assistance to a local radio station for its charitable endeavor. Maisie Summers-Newton, a 22-year-old athlete hailing from Wollaston, Northamptonshire, earned two gold medals and one bronze medal representing Paralympics GB at the Paris 2024 Games. Her contribution involved swimming over 50 lengths at the Mounts Baths pool in Northampton, participating in the current year’s Thousand Mile Challenge organized for Children in Need. BBC Northampton collaborated with other radio stations throughout the United Kingdom to achieve a combined swimming distance of 1,000 miles (1,609km) within a single week. Following her participation, Summers-Newton remarked that the experience “was fun” and “great to swim [with the Breakfast team]”. The Mounts Baths facility is well-known to Summers-Newton, serving as her customary training location. Re-entering the pool evoked “lots of memories” for the Paralympian, especially recalling early morning starts at 04:00 GMT. She admitted that the charitable swimming event marked only the “seventh time” she had entered a pool since the Paris games, leading her to feel “a bit rusty”; nevertheless, she surpassed all members of the breakfast show in speed. Assisted by Summers-Newton, the team successfully finished the last 300 lengths required to meet their 24-mile objective. Annabel Amos, a presenter, stated: “I feel pretty chuffed that I was in the same lane as Maisie Summers-Newton.” “We did [the challenge!”]. For updates on Northamptonshire news, access BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram, and X. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC disclaims responsibility for the content found on external websites. Information regarding our external linking policy is available.