Tag: JustGiving

Jellyfish sting led to breast cancer diagnosis—and inspired 58km charity sea swim for NHS Lothian breast Cancer Institute Fund

An Edinburgh woman whose breast cancer was discovered after a jellyfish sting has completed a gruelling 58km (36 miles)  non-stop sea swim around Jersey to raise money for the NHS team that treated her.

Nicky Mather signed up for this 58km non-stop, non-wetsuited sea swim around Jersey challenge in 2021.

On a training swim in 2022 Nicky swam over a lion’s mane jelly fish at her local Portobello beach in Edinburgh and was stung all over the chest.

In the process of inspecting the sting she discovered a lump that was not the work of a jelly fish. Three weeks later she  had been diagnosed with breast cancer, booked in for surgery and started on hormone therapy. After two rounds of surgery, 16 weeks of chemotherapy, intensive radiotherapy and further preventative treatment and medication she has gradually re-built her life.

It was important to Nicky to return to things that were not possible during treatment – including this swimming challenge. It has taken two years to carefully build back her  swim fitness and cold-water acclimatisation to be ready whilst also balancing her recovery needs. 

The swim

This swim requires a large helping hand from the formidable Jersey tides and currents and very little wind.

Nicky had been allocated a 5-day slot in which she could complete the swim, so really needed some luck for the right conditions to align! It didn’t look like she would get the low-wind forecast needed at all.

On Thursday morning just as she had resigned herself to not swimming and was preparing to go to work, she received a message from the pilot saying ‘Come to Jersey now – we’re swimming Saturday, meet at the boat 7.30am‘!  So then a scramble to get herself and crew from Edinburgh to Jersey, supplies organised and to prepare herself mentally for swimming again. 

 When Nicky finally stepped off the boat and swam to the wall at Elizabeth Castle signalling the swim start, she felt so grateful to be able to do the swim at last.  

The first two hours of the swim involved  navigating around jaggy rocks so Nicky had to be separated from the main support boat and escorted by a very small boat until they reached deeper waters. She was very glad to be reunited with her support boat and ready for her first feed!  

During the swim it is forbidden to be helped in any way: use of buoyancy or thermal aids and sports watches are banned, no one can touch the swimmer and the swimmer cannot touch the boat.

Fuelling has to happen whilst treading water. Nicky’s husband fed her liquid carbohydrate drink from the boat every 45 mins via a rope and bottle. Nicky also likes peaches in syrup as a treat to soothe the mouth and throat from ingesting too much salt water! It’s important to feed fast and keep swimming to avoid losing the tidal advantage so each pit-stop was no more than 15 seconds. 

During the first 6 hours of the swim conditions were smooth and Nicky enjoyed swimming past the different places where she had trained for this swim over the past few years. 

Jersey is a bit like a rectangle and every time she turned a “corner” she noticed the water became suddenly confused and could feel the currents pulling her in different ways.  The second half of the swim the wind picked up and it became much more ‘wavey and choppy’. It was hard to see much other than the very large barrel jellyfish wizzing past underneath Nicky on the currents. 

Nicky did however notice the large ferry gliding past at one point and a speeding RIB that came a bit too close to the boat for the pilot’s liking!!!  Nicky was very grateful to have a very experienced, alert pilot and crew to keep her safe in very busy waters.

The final 45 mins were really tough, swimming very tired into a headwind.  Nicky was very relieved and delighted to touch the walls of Elizabeth Castle again 11 hours 41 mins after starting! 

Nicky says: “Overall it was a beautiful and special swim. Touching the finishing wall was not just about completing the swim – it was about celebrating what is possible and making the most of each day.

“This swim is dedicated to the amazing NHS staff at the Western General Hospital and my local Colinton GP surgery. Their swift interventions, expertise and support are the reason I am here and was able to finally complete this swim.”

Nicky is hoping to raise £4000 for the Breast Cancer Institute of Edinburgh at the Western General Hospital Fund S03181.

This Fund is held within and managed by NHS Lothian Charity and is locally administered by stewards with strong links to the Edinburgh Breast Unit.

Every pound raised will support breast cancer research, specialist equipment, education  and enhancements to the patient experience:

https://www.justgiving.com/page/nicola-mather-4?utm_medium=FR&utm_source=CL

Edinburgh among the UK’s most generous cities of 2025

Edinburgh has been named the second most generous city in the UK, according to charity donation data from 2025.

In a record year for charitable giving according to annual figures from JustGiving, Leeds topped the generosity table, donating the most to charities and good causes per person via the platform last year.

Edinburgh finished at number 2 on the table, with donations exceeding £3.9 million in 2025 – equivalent to every single person in the city giving £7.09.

A total of 127,000 donations were made in the city, across 4,000 charities and causes, with 12% per cent (1 in 8) of Edinburgh’s residents donating to a JustGiving page at some point this year.

Across the UK, over one million fundraising pages were created this year, and over 18 million donations made to UK charities via JustGiving, making it a record-breaking year.

The fundraising platform also revealed 73 million miles were logged for fitness challenges in 2025, with £164 million raised for running events.

Elsewhere, nearly 3,000 people shaved their heads for charity – generating £2.7 million – while nearly 500 world record attempters raised over £1.2 million.

In addition, schools across the UK contributed over £31 million in total through their charitable endeavours.

A poll of 2,000 UK adults went on to explore charitable ambitions for 2026, revealing one in four (26 per cent) are likely to set themselves a fundraising goal in the New Year.

And 28 per cent hope to donate more to charity than they did in 2025, while 31 per cent are keen to take on a fundraising challenge next year.

Health and medical research (38 per cent), animal welfare (32 per cent), and children or education causes (31 per cent) are the top categories Brits plan to support, followed by mental-health support (30 per cent), homelessness and housing (29 per cent), and environmental causes (21 per cent).

And with the festive season fast approaching, 46 per cent of those polled via OnePoll believe the best way to give back at Christmas is by donating toys, clothes or food to families in need.

A further 41 per cent reckon supporting a local charity or cause is one of the most meaningful ways to make a difference during the holidays.

Pascale Harvie, president and general manager of JustGiving, said: “This year, which saw us celebrate our 25th anniversary, has been nothing short of extraordinary for charitable giving.

“Despite ongoing financial pressures, people across the UK continue to dig deep for loved ones’ fundraisers and causes close to their hearts, with Edinburgh showing particular generosity.

“We’ve seen countless examples of communities rallying together when it matters most – It’s a powerful reminder that generosity remains a defining part of who we are.”

*Statistics cover the period between 1st January and 9th December 2025.

TOP TEN MOST GENEROUS CITIES BY AVERAGE DONATION ON JUSTGIVING:

  1. Leeds – £7.88
  2. Edinburgh – £7.09
  3. Leicester – £6.55
  4. Bristol – £6.28
  5. Reading – £5.46
  6. Preston – £4.81
  7. Nottingham – £4.69
  8. London – £4.50
  9. Cardiff – £4.13
  10. Glasgow – £3.89

Edinburgh Napier’s Rachel raises funds in memory of friend Jack

  • Graphic design student raises funds in memory of Jack
  • Rachel raises more than £700 for mental health charities

An Edinburgh Napier graphic design student has raised hundreds of pounds for mental health charities after developing a series of prints in honour of a late, close friend.

Student Rachel Cartledge, 19, from Edinburgh, developed a series of four prints in memory of her close friend Jack Dore, who sadly took his own life in December 2020.

Rachel met Jack through working together in Edinburgh. He was also an Edinburgh Napier student, studying International Tourism Management. He was due to graduate this year.

Her prints – which were developed as part of University coursework that aimed to get students to create something they were passionate about – featured a range of her own illustrations alongside uplifting quotes such as “You matter”, and “Everyone grows at different rates”.

The theme of the prints was to advocate good mental health alongside brightening people’s day.

Once the designs were finalised, Rachel sold the prints through her online Etsy shop and Instagram channel. Within the first 30 minutes, she had raised more than £100. Two print runs later, Rachel had raised a total of £704.28.

The funds raised were split between CALM – a charity that campaigns against living miserably – and a JustGiving fund set-up by Jack’s family to help people affected by depression and other mental health issues. As things stand, the fund is nearly at £20,000.

For Rachel, being able to do use her creative skills to help give people something to remember Jack by was a key driver of the entire project.

She said: “Last year, one of my good friends and work colleagues, Jack sadly took his own life. His family had set-up a JustGiving page in honour of him to raise awareness and get more people mental health support. I wanted to create something to help them in their goal.

“Jack’s death made me so upset and it is obviously something very personal to me. My idea was to create a series of mental health prints that I could sell online to raise money for the fund. I also liked the idea because whoever buys a print would get a little piece of Jack with them so his memory never fades.

“When my shop went live, I was so shocked at the response. In less than 30 minutes I had raised more than £100 for Jack and hundreds of people were sharing and commenting on my Instagram post.

“Overall, I sold more than 300 prints. I even had to restock which is something I never thought would happen. I went into this with a passion for making a difference for Jack and designing prints to make people’s day a little brighter.

“It just shows that when you put your mind to something and work really hard, anything is possible.”

Gemma Skelding, Associate Lecturer in Graphic Design at Edinburgh Napier, said: “I set the students the Passion Project to give them the opportunity to explore a brief that is inspired by a deeper meaning, a mission, a desire for a better way and ideally, has a real-world result.

“Rachel’s project delivered this in abundance, and I applaud her strength and drive to create such a wonderful tribute for her friend.”

If you would like to donate to Jack’s fund, you can do so by visiting: 

https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/jackdore