Nurse heads to Zanzibar to hand out 60-swim cash

Ruth Jennison (centre), who took part in 60 winter dips at Borth to raise money for mental health services in Zanzibar, is pictured on her last dip with her Enlli ward colleagues, Clare Checkley and Julie Fearon-Jones

A BRONGLAIS nurse is preparing to travel to Zanzibar after her icy winter sea swims helped raise £1,000 for mental health services on the east African island.

Ruth Jennison, who lives in Llanidloes but works as a staff mental health nurse on Enlli ward, will fly out to the Tanzanian island for two weeks on Tuesday, 26 September.

While there, Ruth and fellow fundraiser Mike Greenwood, a retired mental health services manager from Gwynedd, will distribute the money.

The announcement comes after Ruth, who worked as a community mental health nurse in Zanzibar between 2005 and 2007, raised the money by completing 60 swims in the waters off Borth over the winter.

The trip has been made possible with the support of Hub Cymru Africa, a charity which supports partnerships between Wales and Africa and donated £1,000 towards Ruth and Mike’s flights.

Speaking to the Cambrian News this week, Ruth said the trip would allow her and Mike, of Corris Uchaf, to determine where the money was needed the most.

“This is very much a scoping visit, and our aim is to decide with our Zanzibari partners how best to spend the monies donated,” she said.

“It may be used to buy a motorbike for the use of a community mental health nurse to visit patients in remote areas and to take them medication.

“Or it may be needed to buy a stockpile of medicines. We will not rush with this as every penny has to be accounted for and it is money kindly donated by everyone."