A Kellington man has raised an amazing £800 for the York Special Care Baby Unit (SCBU).
Lee Bogg, member of The Swans Tri Club, raised the vital funds when he completed the Helvellyn Triathalon in the Lake District on Sunday, September 7. Fifty-five-year-old Lee was inspired to raised the funds for the Special Care Baby Unit following his personal experience relying on the care provided. In January 2024, at just 29 weeks pregnant, Lee’s daughter Hollie became critically unwell with pre-eclampsia. Her baby, Beatrix, had to be delivered by an emergency C-section that saved both their lives. Tiny Beatrix arrived weighing just 2lb 3oz and was immediately admitted to the Neonatal Unit at York Hospital. For the next 40 days, the incredible staff cared for her with skill, compassion, and dedication. Against all the odds, Beatrix was breathing on her own by day two. By the time she was discharged, she had doubled her birth weight and gone home a strong 4lb 6oz baby.
Lee said: “The nurses were extraordinary – their expertise and kindness carried us all through an incredibly frightening time. But we also want to recognise the charity that supports York SCBU. “They made such a difference to our family. “From providing welcoming spaces and food and drink, to making Hollie and Beatrix’s visitors feel comfortable, they helped turn a daunting experience into something that felt safe, supported, and almost like home.”
Lee completed the Helvellyn Triathalon in eight hours, nine minutes, and 34-seconds after training at BG fitness in Selby Speaking about the day Lee said: “My swim did not go to plan, I'm a confident swimmer in open water, but Ullswater had different ideas, the water was rough and choppy, which made my usual style of swimming difficult, it was hard to swim front crawl without taking on water when trying to breathe, no matter which side you attempted to breathe to. “Some people around me panicked and left the race at this point, I changed to breast-stroke and pushed on knowing that I could not fail!” Lee continued: “My bike leg went well, at one point I hit a top speed of 37.4mph on my bike, but also inevitably had to push my bike up the 20% section of The Struggle at Ambleside. “My two targets were to hit the bike cut off with enough time to climb to Red tarn for the mountain cut off, I had estimated 3 hours for my bike section, I did it in 3 hours and 20 minutes. “Not bad for a bike route of 38 miles with 3261ft of climbing.”
This left Lee with one hour and 45-minutes to reach Red Tarn to climb over 1,300ft. Lee said: “Once I had reached the top of Birkhouse Moor, I had to run to Red Tarn, which was not easy to do after the intense climb. “I made it to Red Tarn with 15 minutes to spare and was allowed to climb the mountain. “The climb up Swirrel Edge was ropey to say the least, the route markers had moved or had been blown away, so navigating the edge safely was a challenge, I have climbed the route before, so I know my way round which helped but was still nerve tingling at times. “I was getting battered by high winds and rain for the duration of ascent of the edge, I was very relieved to reach the summit of Helvellyn, I was greeted by a very soggy marshal who gave me a couple of biscuits and wished me well on my way. “The descent was challenging in the tough weather conditions, I was constantly being battered by high winds. I worked my way back down to Glenridding as quickly as I could with my final mile being the fastest of the run. “I was met at the finish line by my daughter who was probably just glad to see me alive!”
Lee’s hard fundraising efforts have meant his target of £200 has been blown away, with donations now reaching £800. He said: “My Fundraising amount has exceeded my expectations, but it would be great to push it further before I close it and the funds raised go to the charity.” If you would like to donate visit www.justgiving.com/page/lee-bogg-2-?utm_medium=FA&utm_source=CL
A Kellington man has raised an amazing £800 for the York Special Care Baby Unit (SCBU). (11-09-057 SU)
