Woman swimming to North Berwick from Craigleith for sister diagnosed with terminal cancer

Linsey Farrington, 38, stays in Widnes, Cheshire, and was diagnosed with stage 4 advanced metastatic cancer in May.

Upon her diagnosis, Linsey was told about cancer trials in other parts of the world that might be able to prolong her life.

The fundraiser Love Linsey’s Life was set up by her friends and family as a means to raise money for clinical trials abroad.

The group has since raised more than £30,000 from donations and fundraising events such as coffee mornings, marathons and bake sales.

Linsey’s sister Jacqui, 52, grew up in Widnes but has lived in North Berwick for 17 years, working in finance for NHS Lothian.

She is one of 12 people taking part in the mile-long swim from Craigleith to West Beach next Saturday (September 10).

Linsey was diagnosed with stage four cancer in May

Speaking on the swimathon, Jacqui said: “I started open water swimming a year ago with a couple of friends after saying for 16 years there was no way you would get me in that sea.

“After returning from a visit seeing Linsey and her family, my friends said: ‘Right, we’re going to do a swim challenge in support of Love Linsey’s Life.’

“Craigleith is a mile away, so we decided to do that.

“We have been overwhelmed by the love, support and generosity received from people. It’s a clear reflection on how much Linsey and her family touches people’s lives.

“I had hoped to get 26 volunteers to do a mile each, but we’ve now got 50 volunteers making it an ultra swimathon.”

Volunteers from across the world, including in New York, Bermuda and Spain, will take part to raise money for Linsey.

Linsey has a husband and two children, all of whom have been involved in raising funds for the group.

She recently qualified as a maths teacher and teaches at Ormiston Chadwick Academy in Widnes.

'Proud to call her my sister'

Talking about her sister and her personality, Jacqui said: “She is so brave and courageous.

“The day after she told her children that she was terminally ill, we [the family] received a text saying: ‘Anyone fancy going to Disneyland Paris tomorrow, I think it would be great for the kids?’ So that’s what we did.

“She has a huge sense of fun and spends most of her time singing and dancing to Disney songs and making sure everyone has a great time.

“She has taught me so much about kindness, love and Disney over the years. She is just someone you want to be around, and I am super proud to call her my sister.”

Linsey is on her second round of chemotherapy and is so far only experiencing mild side effects.

Having raised more than £30,000 so far since May, the group is more than half way to its goal of £60,000.

Go to gofund.me/f43d0ffd to donate.