Emily and I have always enjoyed swimming, however prior to Covid-19 always stuck to the warmth and safety of indoor pools. During lockdown, we found a shared passion for swimming outdoors and we have pushed ourselves to complete endurance swims ever since, swimming in events such as Swim 22, Coniston 5.25 miles and even swimming in the dark. Next year Emily reaches the BIG 40 milestone and decided rather than have a big bash, she wanted to do something crazy and support an amazing charity along the way! So here we are, both ready and bonkers enough to take on this amazing challenge! 

Next year, Emily and I  have signed up to swim from England to France as part of a relay team. This distance is technically 22 miles, however due to currents and other factors will likely be much much more. Swimming in 1 hour long blocks, we will complete this swim in just a regular swimming costume, swimming hat and goggles. No wetsuit or extra layers for warmth and in temperatures (hopefully) around 16 degrees. Your average swimming pool is usually 26-30 degrees so this is quite a lot colder, and with the potentially choppy sea too this will be one difficult challenge. Yep we are bonkers! 

The English Channel swim is seen as the Mount Everest of all swims as more people have climbed Mount Everest than have swum the English Channel. Swimmers will take part in a relay team of 6 from Dover to France, with the swim taking 12 - 18 hours.

Our time in between swims will be on board a pilot boat, and we need to master getting dressed, eating and resting while on a swaying boat, while also in recovery from the cold temperatures.

We are raising money for, and being supported by SwimTayka. They are a charity who raise money to teach children how to swim in countries where lessons are crucial  to help lower mortality rates in fishing villages such as in Mozambique, Indonesia, Brazil and Peru. Anything you can donate to get us there would be amazing! 

Drowning is a silent epidemic that claims an estimated 360,000 lives every year, many of them children.

Drowning is the 3rd leading cause of unintentional injury death worldwide. These are wasted lives and preventable deaths. SwimTayka's mission is to give disadvantaged communities around the world access to swimming teachers who can not only provide the life skills of swimming but create a legacy for today's children, who will grow up to teach the next generation.

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