Team FP -  we are off at 4:30 am on wednesday morning (5th sept) please see the following website for live updateshttp://www.42mileswim.co.uk/

Thank you for visiting this fundraising page. Please dig deep and sponsor us online.

To help with this here is a little bit more information on what we are attempting to achieve:

The English Channel is approximately 21 miles or 35 kilometres  wide at its narrowest point (Shakespeare Beach, Dover to Cap Gris Nez, France). So for a 2 way swim we will be covering a minimum 42 miles between the 6 of us, but due to tides and the route we have to take this could be several miles further. We are hoping to achieve it in a time of around 24 hours which means each of us will be swimming for 4 hours in total, an hour at time, with a 5 hour gap in between each swim.

By the time of the event we will have been training for over a year and each of  us have on average swam 3-4 times a week to get up to a point where we can cover the distance in a pool with ease. Part of the risk of such a long event is if at any point a swimmer gets into difficulty and has to return to the boat the swim will be over, so there is obviously a considerable pressure on each of us not to let our other team mates down.

Apart from the distance itself we’ll need to negotiate various other problems along the way including, seasickness, jellyfish, strong tides, water temperatures around 15-18 C, swimming in the dark, the 600 or so boats that pass daily through the channel, and also whatever they decide to deposit  into the water!

If you’re interested the following links give you some more information on Channel swimming: 

CSA website-http://www.channelswimmingassociation.com/

Channel swimming FAQ -  http://www.channelswimming.com/faq.htm

Thank you in advance for your support and also any money you do donate, we really do appreciate whatever you can give to this very worthwhile charity.  It is also worth saying that the first £3000 that is raise will be matched by the company we all work for.

Many Thanks 

Team FP - Jamie, Phill, James, Alan, Nick, James, Karen, Andrew

Please note:

Donations are accepted on the basis of our preparation for and attempt at the crossing. The pilot has final say on whether or not we can proceed, and this will depend on weather and tide conditions. Should the swim not take place for the above reason donations will still be made to the charity, as we will be unable to return your donations from this site.

Donating through this site is simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to sponsor me: Marie Curie Cancer Care will receive your money faster and, if you are a UK taxpayer, an extra 28% in tax will be added to your gift at no cost to you.