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Hi there, my name is Charlie, I’m a year 10 student at Long Field Academy and a member of Leicester Neptune Swimming Club where I train several times a week.  

A couple of months ago, friends from the club came up with the idea to swim the English Channel to raise money for Aspire.  This is one of the toughest challenges a swimmer could face, so of course I signed up.  I really want to make a difference to the lives of those who suffer such awful injuries and at the same time, take on this massive challenge!

In Mid-November we passed our assessment at Aspire with flying colours and learned about all the great work that Aspire carries out and experiences of others who have completed this challenge.  We were also fortunate enough to meet Paula Craig MBE, who is an amazing lady who told us how Aspire had helped her and the impact they have had on her life following a tragic accident that left her paralysed from the waist down.  Her story alone has given us all inspiration to train hard and complete this challenge.

Our team have commenced with a training programme to take us through the Winter and start our open-water swims in Spring for acclimatisation.  We will also undertake training sessions in Dover Harbour in May, June and July.  Dependent on tides, our challenge will take place anytime from the 8 August 2019. 

We will each swim for one hour and repeat in order until we reach France.........being on the boat at a swimmer's pace and remaining in one piece may be more of a challenge than the actual swim!

Including relay swims, more people have climbed Mount Everest than have swum the English Channel - considered the Holy Grail of open water swims worldwide.

Here are some things we’ll encounter on the challenge:-

• 21 miles of swimming minimum - will swim further due to tides
• Water temperatures between 14 and 18 degrees centigrade
• Stinging Jellyfish
• Swimming round the clock - possibly through the night in complete darkness
• Potential rough seas
• Floating debris, thick seaweed
• Fighting fatigue and hypothermia
• The Channel is one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world with up to 500 tankers, container ships, ferries and fishing vessels passing through the arrow straight every day; it’s the M25 of shipping!

https://www.aspire.org.uk/Event/relay-channel-swim

Please help me and the Aspire Neptune team raise money for this great cause.

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