Great news - our amazing Fran Mapp has qualified for the 2025 World Aquathon Championships! Now, she needs our help to get her there.

Alongside the juggle of being a brilliant mother to two small children and working for the British Hen Welfare Trust, Fran has dedicated herself to her training. Running and swimming in all weathers, she now has the unmissable opportunity to represent her country.

Fran has been swimming for as long as she can remember. She joined Torridgeside Swimming Club as a child and continued training with them into her teenage years. She rejoined the club just over a year ago, after having her second daughter.

Fran has completed two marathons, numerous half marathons and plenty of 10k races over the past 15 years. Running is a huge part of the life she has built with her family. Fran and husband Dan can regularly be seen racing in the Bideford 5k Park Run with their girls coming along for the ride in pushchairs!

Since becoming a mother, Fran's passion for athletics has become more profound. When her daughter was 9 months old, Fran beat her running personal best in the Bideford 10k before scooping up baby Coco to breastfeed her. She repeated the same incredible feat when her second daughter was 6 months old, dashing straight from the glory of the finish line to breastfeed baby Ottilie.

Recently, Fran was inspired to combine her love of swimming and running by competing in North Devon Aquathons. After only a few short months of local competitions, she entered the London Aquathon which is where she gained her qualifying times for the World Championships.

In her own words:

"Qualifying was never my plan when I returned to training after the birth of my children. I never knew this would be possible while working and raising (and breastfeeding) two tiny babies! Opportunities like this don't come around often and if I can grasp it with both hands (with a toddler on my hip and a baby in my arms!) then I would love to give it my all and see what could happen. Qualification means I can represent what's possible not only for women everywhere who are rediscovering themselves after having children, but for my beautiful daughters also. I want to demonstrate the magic of what can happen when you dedicate yourself to something you care about. I want to show them what the world can offer them."

To be able to compete, Fran needs funds - and fast. The World Championships are only a matter of months away and she needs our support to make it happen. We have the chance to fundraise the vital costs needed to cover the costs of flights, accommodation, entry fees, food and the GB uniform needed to compete.

Please donate anything you can. Every pound will not only support our girl, but it will also unite us in showing that we believe in the women in our community.

Fran's done the hard work to get here. Now let's get her to that start line!