<div><strong>What am I doing?</strong>
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<div>On September 14th, I'm doing a massive open-water, 5km swim across Loch Morlich, Scotland. This "5K for 3K" is me aiming to take on a big challenge of <strong>swimming 5000m, to raise £3000</strong> for the Cloud Water Zen Centre! For context, that’s equivalent to doing over 200 swimming pool lengths, non-stop, in freezing cold water, for over 2 hours!
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<div>Fair to say, I've never done anything so challenging!
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<div><strong>What is the fundraiser?</strong>
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<div>The Cloud Water Zen Centre, a non-profit Zen Buddhist centre, has been offering meditation and Zen practice in a small space in Glasgow City Centre for several years. They’ve been fundraising tirelessly for a countryside retreat centre near Glasgow. So far, they’ve very successfully raised almost the entire £100,000 goal—hence <strong>this swim aims to raise enough to push them towards the final line!</strong>
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<div><strong>What is Zen Practice?</strong>
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<div>In challenging times—whether due to mental health, stress, or disconnection—Zen practice offers a chance find space for ourselves so we can respond more skilfully to the very real difficulties that we face.
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<div><strong>Why a retreat centre?</strong>
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<div>Going on retreat allows us an even greater opportunity to step back and gain a renewed energy and fresh perspective. However, in Scotland options are limited and expensive.
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<div>This non-profit retreat centre will provide wider access to meditation and Zen practice, including regular retreats and residential living. It will also offer low-cost rental space for other groups like Yoga, Tai Chi, and Mindfulness. So, it will be <strong>one of the first places</strong> in Scotland to offer affordable access to retreats and like-minded activities.
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<div><strong>How can you help?</strong>
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<div>You can support me and the project by donating here directly! All donations are greatly appreciated towards reaching the goal!
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<div>Overall, this retreat centre stands to have a significant impact on the lives and mental wellbeing of people in Scotland. I really wouldn't consider taking a step in these cold waters for so long if I didn't believe it stands to provide such great value!
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<div>*Note: If you are a UK taxpayer, you can tick the boxes at the bottom of the donations page to allow the Zen Centre to claim GiftAid on your donation. This is a huge help and provides an extra 25% on top of your donation at no expense to you.
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<div><strong>Updates to follow</strong>
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<div>I will be sharing regular training and updates on my Instagram - so keep an eye out there @im_oscart. And spreading the word is a great help too with anyone who's interested!
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<div><strong>Your support really makes a huge difference to ! </strong>Thank you so much - more evidence to follow!
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<div>Links and further info:
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<div>• More about the Zen Centre: <a href="https://cloudwaterzen.org" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><a href="https://cloudwaterzen.org/" target="_blank" class="" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">https://cloudwaterzen.org/</a></a>
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<div>• Retreat Centre Project: <a href="https://cloudwaterzen.org/retreat-centre-project" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><a href="https://cloudwaterzen.org/retreat-centre-project/" target="_blank" class="" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">https://cloudwaterzen.org/retreat-centre-project/</a></a>
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<div>• Instagram for updates: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/im_oscart" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/im_oscart/" target="_blank" class="" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">https://www.instagram.com/im_oscart/</a></a>
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<div>• Recent Glasgow Times Article on the Zen Centre: <a href="https://www.glasgowtimes.co.uk/news/scottish-news/24362391.zen-buddhism-centre-glasgow-changing-lives" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><a href="https://www.glasgowtimes.co.uk/news/scottish-news/24362391.zen-buddhism-centre-glasgow-changing-lives/" target="_blank" class="" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">https://www.glasgowtimes.co.uk/news/scottish-news/24362391.zen-buddhism-centre-glasgow-changing-lives/</a></a>
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<div>• Swimming Event: <a href="https://go-swim.uk" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><a href="https://go-swim.uk/" target="_blank" class="" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">https://go-swim.uk/</a></a>
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Lloret MacKenna Dunn

William Johansson

Brian Thompson

Robin Marshall

Anonymous

Rishi Chadha

Jamie Knox

Alison McKenzie

Derek Sneddon

Sasha Hoggard

Luke Mallinson

Raith Honeyman

Gemma Cummins

Jackie Kaliski

Cameron Bruce

Anthony Carney

Danila Batakovs

Swimming 5km Open-Water: Zen Centre Retreat Fundraiser

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