MEDIA: Solo Swim of the English Channel for Mental Health

32-year-old Canberran, Ashleigh, has set herself the goal of a solo swim across the English Channel as part of a fundraising and awareness campaign supporting mental health.

Ashleigh will set off on her 33km journey across the Channel in October to raise money for the inaugural Kallan Lodge Library and support staff in the John Hunter Hospital’s NEXUS unit in Newcastle. The NEXUS unit cares for youth aged five to 17-years who are having mental health issues.

Founding the Kallan Lodge Library in 2021, named after her dear friend who tragically lost their life to suicide, Ashleigh's desire is to build a library of literature and music that can be accessed in any Australian mental health facility.

The library and her English Channel fundraiser are also helping to ignite conversation about mental health care and access to tools for support and recovery. You can read more about Ashleigh’s swim and the Kallan Lodge Library in Her Canberra.

Read more about Ashleigh’s brave journey towards founding the library on her mycause fundraising page and support her.

Do you have a friend or cause you’d like to raise awareness of or support? You can start your own crowdfunding page for free.