In January 2021 four friends and open water swimmers, their brains addled by lockdown, made the rash decision to swim the Bristol Channel.  

In the summer of 2021 Phil Warren, Mike Wood, Tony Baxter and Mark Reed (The Henley River Rats) will swim the 45km stretch of the Bristol Channel from Swansea in Wales to  Ilfracombe in North Devon. The team are experienced swimmers and have between them swum many long distance swims including the Henley Marathon, around Scilly and the English Channel.

All four have at one time or another experienced difficulties with their own mental health and are particularly aware of the impact the current Covid crisis is having on people in the UK and all around the world.  As a result they have chosen to support MIND, the leading UK mental health charity, with their work supporting people affected by the global pandemic. 

So... please dig deep.  Swimming the Bristol Channel is no mean feat. It’s further than the English Channel and will take us between 15 and 24 hours.  And not only that, there’s the jelly fish and sharks and other unseen perils to contend with!!