Green councillor goes blue for wildlife
A GREEN Party county councillor took to the icy waters of the Little Ouse today to help Suffolk Wildlife Trust buy Knettishall Heath.
With an air temperature of only five degrees Mark Eriera-Guyer took the plunge as he promised with four friends, even though the trust had already reached its £100,000 donation target, but the money will help with running costs.
He had vowed to stay in the water of the river which runs through the heath for five seconds for every £250 so with his figure on the Just Giving Website at £1,172 he only needed to stay in for 23.44 seconds. But Mark stayed bravely in the water for much longer than that to satisfy the photographers.
He was wearing a wetsuit, but has only just recovered from an illness.
Afterwards a shivering Mark said: “I feel quite exhilarated! I feel really pleased I’ve done it because I was 50 just before Christmas.”
Helping him towel off, his daughter Natasha said: “I feel he’s been really brave.”
The water was even too cold for the two dogs with the group, who included PCSO Will Pardoe from Ixworth Police Station, Mark’s old college friend Catherine Dearth from Whistable, Kent, and Julia Yelloly and Alan Donnelly of Thetford.
See the full story and whether Mark hits his £1,500 target in the Bury Free Press on Friday. To donate visit www.justgiving.com/BigWinterSplash4Knettishall
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Weather for Bury St Edmunds
Friday 25 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 12 C to 21 C
Wind Speed: 22 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 12 C to 21 C
Wind Speed: 20 mph
Wind direction: East
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