Eastern Leisure Centre is hosting a fundraising event this weekend for the Llandough Lung Cancer Care Unit, in support of long-serving Cardiff Council employee Shirley Bourge.
Shirley is a popular character and has been a familiar face around the city’s swimming pools, teaching people of all ages and levels to swim for almost 30 years. During this time she has taught lifesaving classes and started a disability swimming club at Eastern Leisure Centre which has gone from strength to strength,
People may also remember swimming clubs such as Shirley’s Stamina Class or the Welsh Whales. In 1998 she moved to work at County hall to start the Swim Development Team which delivers a swimming programme to the whole of Cardiff.
In March 2008, Shirley was diagnosed with breast cancer and after many months of treatment was given the all-clear. However in February 2010 Shirley received the bad news that she has mesothelioma cancer, a form of lung cancer and is terminally ill.
Staff at Eastern Leisure centre are appealing for people to come down and get involved in all the fun from 1pm to 5pm on Sunday September 12, especially all those who have been taught by Shirley or worked with her over the years, whether it is to join in the swim or to donate to the cause.
Entrants to the sponsored swim must be over eight years of age and can choose to swim up to a mile or set their own target. They may enter individually or as part of a team or family. The entrance fee is £3 per person which will go towards the charity as well as all other money raised.
There’s also plenty of other activities to join in with at the centre such as an adult charity spin class at 11.30am. For a small donation, there is also a range of activities such as basketball and wheelchair basketball skills, softplay and inflatable, arts and crafts, face painting and trampolining. Parents are encouraged to bring their children along to the supervised Fun Zone area for over-fives which overlooks over the pool
The Active Fit Squad will be on hand for fitness testing and there will be refreshments and a raffle held on the day.
.Executive Member for Sport, Culture and Leisure, Cllr Nigel Howells said: “Shirley is a remarkable lady who has made an outstanding contribution to the swimming development programme in Cardiff. She has devoted a great amount of time over the years to teaching people of all ages how to swim and this is an invaluable skill which will stay with people throughout their lives. I hope that people across the city will get involved in this incredibly important cause in supporting Shirley and the Llandough Lung Cancer Care Unit”.
