We recently welcomed Valerie, Tom, Mary and Lily Wells to Aspire to thank them for their incredible support over the past few years. It was lovely to meet them and explain how their support has made, and continues to make, a real difference to people's lives.

The family have been fantastic supporters of Aspire since 2009 when Mary and husband Tom took on the Aspire Channel Swim raising over £2,700 which earned them the Top Fundraising Team prize that year.  They promised daughter Lily that she could take part when she was old enough and at age ten she did just that last year, raising over £2,500!

Lily was inspired to take on the challenge to help people like her father Tom who has a spinal cord injury, sustained in a tobogganing accident when he was 21.  Despite the injury at the T5/6 level leaving him reliant on a wheelchair to get around, Tom continued his medical training, qualified as a doctor and is now a Consultant in Medical Oncology.

Lily said, "I was really proud to raise so much for Aspire from the Channel Swim. My dad was injured a long time before I was born but I know how hard it was for him after his accident. It would be great to help people who need support now - then they can have a good life, like my dad."

Sadly, earlier this year, Tom's father Professor Peter Wells passed away.  Before he died, Peter decided to support Aspire once again by asking friends and relatives who wished to honour his memory to make donations to the charity in his name. The donations totalled £2,440. Added to their previous fundraising this means that they have raised over £7,600 to Aspire, money which has helped many people with spinal cord injuries to regain their independence.

For more information about how you could support Aspire, please email [email protected] 

Aspire Channel Swim

Swimming events

How we help