By Tanya Faulkner
True passion is what it takes to compete in any extreme sport, but even more to do it for a good cause.
Brenda Norman is a passionate advocate of maintaining all forms of health, and an internationally renowned marathon and ultra-marathon swim, participating in this year’s Williamstown Open Water (WOW) Challenge on March 5.
Ms Norman is an accomplished long-distance swimmer, using her swims to promote the importance of mental health – particularly for young people in regional areas.
In 2017, Ms Norman founded Channel 4 Change, an initiative to promote and raise funds to develop and implement youth mental health projects, made up of professionals and volunteers with an interest in mental health.
“It’s hard to raise funds for mental health, because it’s a hard topic to talk about,“ she said.
“The idea for Channel 4 Change is to attract attention, to think about mental health, and raise funds for the initiatives hosted in the community.“
Brenda says her big swims are her way of fundraising for Channel 4 Change.
The WOW Challenge is described as Victoria’s world class, championship distance, open water swim event, open to those of all ages and capabilities wanting to give the swim a go.
It will be held Sunday, March 5 at Williamstown Beach.
The challenge, conducted by the Williamstown Swimming and Life Saving Club, provides locals the chance to swim with some of the best swimmers from around the world, as part of the Great Victorian Swim series, and raises funds for non-profit organisations.
