£176,606.58 of £300,000 target +£20,725.16 Gift Aid See breakdown
7 hours ago
+ £25.00 Gift Aid
Isla Grist is such a brave girl and wouldn't it be lovely to find a cure for this awful illness. Graeme Souness and his team are doing such fantastic work in raising awareness and funds. Well done all.
19 hours ago
+ £2.50 Gift Aid
Well done everyone
2 days ago
+ £2.50 Gift Aid
Sent with love and admiration
3 days ago
+ £12.50 Gift Aid
Great effort Graham
5 days ago
+ £5.00 Gift Aid
5 days ago
+ £12.50 Gift Aid
Donated instead of sending cards this Christmas - your team are doing a great job !
6 days ago
+ £12.50 Gift Aid
Keep up the good work, bless you all 🙏
1 week ago
+ £2.50 Gift Aid
1 week ago
good luck you are doing a great job
1 week ago
Graeme Souness is raising money for DEBRA
“Double the distance plus more, will you join Team DEBRA and BE the difference for EB?”
Last June, football legend and DEBRA UK Vice President Graeme Souness CBE, alongside the swim team, took on the DEBRA UK swim challenge and swam the 30-mile stretch of water that lies between Dover and Calais. Their motivation was Isla Grist, 16, who lives with recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa. Graeme and the swim team made it to the shores of France and completed the English Channel swim in a speedy 12 hours 17 minutes! That wasn’t enough for Graeme though, and in his words, “we must do more”. So, now, Team DEBRA is taking on an even bigger challenge to 'BE the difference for EB.'
Graeme explains more:
“There is still so much more that we need to do for people living with the excruciating pain of EB, which is why we’re getting the team back together.
As a team, we’re going to push ourselves even further this time and swim twice as far, swimming the English Channel there and back, and then cycling 85 miles from Dover to London!
Last year was tough, this year is going to be even tougher.
I will be taking on the cycling element of the challenge, and I despise cycling! I’m not built for it, but I’ve been working hard. Each time I get on that bike, I have Isla on my mind. I’ve spent a lot of time with her recently and each time I see her I’m reminded of why I’m doing another challenge. Isla lives with the excruciating pain and itch from EB daily.
This challenge is in support of DEBRA UK’s 2024/25 'BE the difference for EB' appeal. With your help, we can raise £300,000, which could enable DEBRA UK to clinically test a drug treatment that could help stop the pain of EB for Isla and thousands of other children and adults living with EB.
So, please support me and the team. You can sponsor us or set up your own fundraiser. Why not set up your own swimathon with a length of the pool for every mile the team will be taking on in the English Channel, or set up a sponsored cycle ride, or is there anything else that’s a little bit different that you can do to support people living with EB? Whatever you do will make a huge difference.
We need everyone to play their part to BE the difference for EB; this is not a fight we can win alone.
Thank you for your support”.
Thank you for checking out my page. Making a donation is fast, easy and secure thanks to Give as you Live Donate. They'll take your donation and pass it onto DEBRA.
2 months ago
So, it’s been a few weeks since my last update and it’s been an interesting few weeks for me, to say the least! As you’re probably aware I’ve been struggling all year to fully recover from the shoulder surgery I had in January. This prevented me from taking part in the swim aspect of the challenge, but I was fully motivated to take on the cycling, even though I absolutely detest cycling!
That was the plan until a routine check-up with my heart surgeon a couple of weeks ago revealed that I needed heart surgery….again! This has now happened, and I am doing well but I can’t take on any strenuous physical activity for the next few months. If that wasn’t enough, the team has been battling the elements and haven't been able to take on the channel swim safely before the season finishes in early October.
Because of my physical situation and because the team is running out of time to get the swim in before the season ends, we’ve made the difficult decision to reschedule the challenge to next May. This then gives me time to fully recover from both my shoulder and heart surgeries so that I’m fighting fit to lead the team.
Please stay with me and the team on this journey. People like my good friend, Isla Grist, living with EB, face challenges and setbacks every day and yet they keep going. Their physical and mental strength is greater than any opponent I’ve ever encountered on the pitch, which is why we must keep going for them and we will complete this challenge.
You can help by sponsoring the challenge, by setting up your own fundraiser, or by telling your friends, family, colleagues, anyone you know about EB and the challenge we are taking on. With your support we can ensure a better future for everyone living with the pain of EB.
Please look out for updates on how my training is going as I get match fit!
Thank you for your continued support.
Graeme
3 months ago
Training is ramping up! I spent most of my bank holiday weekend on the bike. I must admit the training has been tough as I’m not built for cycling but I’ve been working hard.
Each time I get on that bike, I have Isla on my mind. I’ve spent a lot of time with her recently and each time I see her I’m reminded of why I’m doing another challenge. Isla lives with the excruciating pain and itch from EB daily.
Please keep up your support, spread the word and ask your friends and family to donate. Your donations encourage me and Team DEBRA to keep going, keep training and keep ‘BEing the difference for EB’.
Thank you.
Graeme Souness is fundraising for
Charity number: 1084958
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