Viv Barrett of Ye Olde Rose & Crown raised thousands for brain tumour research By Victoria Munro
Viv at the Big Dip last weekend (credit: Nicola Neal)
The woman behind Walthamstow’s most popular pub, celebrating its 14th birthday this week, has smashed her goal to raise money for brain cancer research.
Viv Barrett, 63, of the Ye Olde Rose and Crown Theatre Pub in Hoe Street, was diagnosed with a brain tumour last November, forcing her to put plans to swim in all 100 lidos in the UK on hold.
Instead, last weekend she and friends organised a “Big Dip” at the London Fields Lido in Hackney, aiming to swim 100 lengths in one lido and raise £10,000 for The Brain Tumour Charity.
After a huge showing, the group in fact raised more than £20,000 and gave Viv a “wonderful experience” that she “will always cherish”.
Viv’s friend Pauline Thomas, who helped organise the events, told the Echo: “It was a wonderful day and the weather was perfect for March.
“The staff team from London Fields Lido were very supportive and helpful. We accomplished our target of 100 lengths, in fact we recorded 108, but I feel it was more.
“The amount we have raised is amazing, many people have been so kind and supportive of this fundraiser. We were both concerned we wouldn’t achieve our target but Viv called me while I was travelling to the lido to tell me we had already gone over.
“We are now looking at the next fundraiser being ‘plant the seeds’ – we are including this small fundraiser with the children’s Easter Egg Hunt at The Lloyd Park Centre on 2nd April.”
Viv previously told the Echo she wanted to raise money for the charity in order to achieve some “positives to the heart-breaking negatives” of her situation.
She said: “Brain tumours rip through families, they damage dreams, and they scare the bejeebers out of everybody, me included!
“There is a lack of resources devoted to brain tumour research. Every penny and every bit of awareness we raise, [means] more understanding we and future generations will have.”
In total the group raised £20,340, which will go towards supporting sufferers of brain cancer and medical research.
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