Killyleagh Dippers and Strippers swim for heart charity

Killyleagh Dippers and Strippers swim for heart charity

2 April 2025

A LOCAL cold-water swimming group have raised over £1,000 for Northern Ireland Chest Heart and Stroke as part of their ‘Swim for Kim’.

Killyleagh Dippers and Strippers meet regularly at the quay in Killyleagh for sea swims in Strangford Lough. 

One of their regular ‘dippers’, Kim Colhoun, a driving instructor from Saintfield, suffered a stroke in February 2017 at the age of 48.

Had she not had a thrombectomy on the day of her stroke, it is believed she would have had a slim chance of survival.

Eight years on, the swimming group honoured Kim’s strength and determination with the charity swim which has raised £1,296 so far.

During her recovery Kim availed of the support of NI Chest, Heart and Stroke (NICHS). 

She attended the charity’s Post Rehab Exercise Programme (PREP), a physiotherapy led, community-based course which helps rebuild people’s lives after stroke through exercise and education.

“At first, I was nervous about going to PREP because I thought most people would be elderly, but they weren’t,” she said. 

“PREP really helped me improve my motor skills, but it also provided great peer support. “After the exercise session we would chat about care plans, everyday routines, and our coping strategies for living with stroke. It was a massive aid to my recovery to hear that other people were in the same boat as me.”

Thankfully Kim continued positively on her recovery journey, including getting back to work as a driving instructor.

She was also inspired to support NICHS’s work by becoming a PREP volunteer and Ambassador for the charity.

“PREP really helped me regain my confidence and sharing my experiences with others who understood really helped. I wanted to be able to do that for other people by becoming a PREP volunteer,” she said.

“In my ambassador role I can talk to people and tell them about my stroke, about how the charity helped me, how the money they have fundraised will help other local people and so on.”

She continued: “As a society we tend to think stroke is something that only affects older people and that needs to change. It can happen to anyone, at any age and stage in life,” she said. 

“NICHS helped me so much and I can’t recommend them enough. In that time when I was so low, they were there. That’s why I want to try and give back and make a difference.”

Killyleagh Dippers and Strippers member Paula Beers said almost everyone in the group “has had a family member, friend or colleague struggle or pass away due to a heart attack or stroke. 

She added: “This charity works with people of all ages across Northern Ireland delivering vital care and prevention services as well as supporting research.”

If you have been affected by stroke and need support, visit www.nichs.org.uk/strokesupport for further information about Northern Ireland Chest Heart and Stroke’s stroke support services.