Teddington Osteopath swims the Channel for Local Charity

Hello! My name is Sue Croft, and I’m an osteopath with a practice covering Teddington and Twickenham, South West London.

I’m swimming the channel in September 2012, and I’m raising money to help a really important Twickenham charity (local to me, anyway!), Me Too & Co (www.Metooandco.org.uk).

Me Too & Co is a local charity supporting families with children (aged 0 to 20) with additional needs. It provides invaluable practical help for parents, children with needs and siblings. It’s about supporting the whole family.

I worked at Me Too & Co for two years as a volunteer osteopath and I got to know the children, the parents and the other volunteers very well over that time. 

I can be certain that the money I raise through my swim will be spent wisely and well, helping fund training courses for parents and siblings, play groups run by trained care-workers to give parents some down time, specialist advice with filling forms, legal issues and navigating the educational support maze and much, much more.

Take a look at the website to get an idea of the full range of services Me Too & Co offers.

Why am I swimming the Channel?

I’ll be honest, even if I weren’t raising money for Me Too & Co, I’d still be swimming the Channel. It’s been a personal ambition most of my life. 

Two years ago at the age of 45, I stood on the viewing platform at Dover Castle, looking at the cliffs of Calais. It was a beautiful clear but blustery day; the sea just lay there as if it was saying ‘you know you want to swim this’. 

The English Channel is an iconic stretch of water with so much history. 

Since 1875 when Captain Webb was the first person to make a successful crossing it has become the swim that people from all around the world want to achieve. Each year around 35 crossings are successful, compared to 350 successful ascents of Everest!

The rules stipulate that swimmers must complete the swim in the same manner as Captain Webb, which means one swimsuit (wetsuits not allowed), one hat and a pair of goggles. You have no physical contact with anyone on your pilot boat – until you finish or the swim is abandoned. 

And to answer the question everyone asks… No, I won’t be covered in lard or goose fat, which was never used to provide insulation anyway – it was to prevent friction burns from swimsuit straps!  I will be using a very unglamorous mix of Vaseline and Lanolin, very effective but rather smelly.

Swimming the Channel is a once in a lifetime opportunity, but I don’t want it to be just about me – I’d like to share it with a local charity which makes such a difference on an everyday basis to so many families. 

Please help me help  Me Too & Co by sponsoring me!