We are.... Channel No. 5!

Some people’s bucket list includes skydiving, others want to visit every continent. But for five intrepid HM Land Registry heroes, it was swimming the English Channel for charity. 

It all started in 2018 at the CSSC National Swimming Competition when Anna Luff, Ellie Fretwell, John Moore, Ian Cable and Matthew Thomas got to talking about a potential channel relay swim. 

The group finally got the green light in 2022, but after months of practice, Ian was sadly unable to take part on medical advice, and with just one week to go Matt also had to pull out due to injury. 

Anna, Ellie and John faced a difficult decision: go ahead and cover the distance as a three, or postpone. With only a week to go, they decided to head for Dover – their starting point.  

From Channel no. 5 to Channel no. 3 

On 23 June at 5.28am, accompanied by a member of the Channel Swimming and Pilot Federation (CS&PF) – and full of pasta – the trio began their epic relay from Samphire Hoe, with Ellie the first to take the plunge. 

To be officially recognised, they had to begin and start on dry land, with each swimmer doing one full hour at a time, keeping to the same rotation throughout the crossing. Other rules included no wetsuits (although a basting in duck or goose fat is fine) and, what proved to be the hardest, no touching the pilot boat during each one-hour leg. 

The shortest route is not always a straight line 

The shortest straight-line distance between England and France is 21 miles, however, the ‘easiest’ way to swim the channel is to ‘go with the tides’, so the actual distance covered was closer to 34 miles.   

Ably supported by Ian and the pilot boat crew, the team completed the challenge, with Anna bringing them in at Cap Gris Nez after 13 hrs 54 minutes. They sustained an average pace of between 2.2 and 2.8 miles per hour throughout, a miraculous achievement in open water. 

Overcoming obstacles 

The team’s main concern was always whether they could do it. As well as not wanting to let each other down, there was also immense pressure to not disappoint those who’d donated through this

Then there was battling their fears of swimming in open water. Ellie, from land-locked Nottingham, suffers from Thalassophobia, a persistent and intense fear of deep bodies of water, which became startlingly apparent 26 minutes into the first leg of her swim, when she experienced a panic attack. She pulled through with reassurance from the team and was guided for the rest of her swims – mostly with eyes closed!  

Add to this the sea sickness, irritation from the sea salt, and loneliness of a long repetitive task, and it’s fair to say there were many obstacles to overcome. 

Swimming for a great cause 

The team chose to fundraise for Mind as they wanted to help raise awareness of mental health issues and how they impact everybody, showing through the challenge how swimming can support better mental wellbeing. From the release of endorphins to the social hubs, the team found that open water swimming gave them a sense of freedom and helped clear their minds from everyday pressures. 

The pilot boat – named ‘Optimist’ – as well as the medical checks, equipment and overnight digs were all self-funded to make sure every penny raised through Just Giving went to the charity.  

So far more than £6,000 has been raised – well above target – which includes money raised by a fundraising day at the Nottingham Office. 

£20 could run the online peer support community Side By Side for an hour, helping people connect with others and feel less alone.

£40 – could help Infoline answer calls, providing someone with vital support and information about help available for them.

£50 could help campaign for better mental health services from the Government, ensuring people get the support they need, as soon as they need it.

£100 could pay the cost of one Infoline or Legal Line advisors for a whole day.

Ellie Fretwell, 22 - Nottingham - Ellie celebrated her 23rd birthday 2 days after swimming the Channel!!!

John Moore, 51- Nottingham

Anna Luff, 34 - Plymouth

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