Adrian's North Channel Swim
Adrian Sarchet is raising money for Guernsey Disability Swimming LBG
Story
The bit about me
I am a 40 year old open-water swimmer from the British Channel Island of Guernsey. I started open-water swimming about 5 years ago and it has transformed my life. I have completed a number of marathon swims (*) and am currently four sevenths of the way through the Oceans 7 Challenge (**).
My recent swim was the North Channel from Ireland to Scotland. For me, it lived up to its reputation as the toughest open-water swim in the world - 23 miles in rough water populated by lions mane jellyfish (see image) and with an average sea temperature of 12 degrees centigrade. I struggled home in 14 hours 13 minutes but suffered from breathing difficulties towards the end of the swim brought on by a combination of hypothermia and multiple jellyfish stings. After three days enjoying the hospitality of Ulster Hospital I was discharged just in time to have a celebratory pint of Guinness before heading home.
I have not fund-raised since my English Channel swim in 2012 because, like most of us, I was conscious of "charity fatigue". But I have returned to fund-raising this year because the charitable project described below will simply cease to exist unless we help.
The amount required to save this charitable project is modest, only £5,000 per year, but the benefit it brings transforms the lives of people with physical and learning disabilities. My open-water swimming has resulted in physical and psychological benefits, but most importantly the shared experience has helped me bond with friends I would never otherwise have known. I think everyone should be entitled to these benefits and to be able to swim in an environment supportive of their needs. The group swims for an hour a week at the Beau Sejour pool and for some participants, it's the highlight of their week.
I need your help to raise £5,000 in order to fund this charitable project in this critical first year.
Many thanks for your time and best regards.
Ady
(*) Round Guernsey 11 hours 25 minutes (2011); English Channel 14 hours 2 minutes (2012); Catalina Channel 12 hours 25 minutes (2013); Round Jersey 11 hours 30 minutes (2014); Strait of Gibraltar 4 hours 2 minutes (2014); The North Channel 14 hours 13 minutes (waiting for ratification of the time by the Irish Long Distance Swimming Association).
(**) The English Channel (Dover to Calais); the Catalina Channel (Santa Catalina Island to Los Angeles); the Strait of Gibraltar (Spain to Morocco); the North Channel (Ireland to Scotland); the Tsugaru Strait (Honshu to Hokkaido in Japan); the Molokai Strait (in the Hawaiian Islands); and the Cooke Strait (North Island to South Island in New Zealand.
Guernsey Disability Swimming LBG
For more than 20 years one of Guernsey's disability support groups (the "Support Group") funded a small, but critical, local project (the "Project") providing people with physical and learning disabilities with the opportunity to swim regularly in an environment which supported their needs.
Unfortunately, due to budgetary cut-backs, the Support Group confirmed earlier this year that it was no longer able to fund the Project. In response to this development the organiser of the Project for more than 20 years, Mrs Ruth Parsons, has established "Guernsey Disability Swimming LBG" (a Guernsey Registered Charity) (the "Charity") in order to keep the Project running.
The Charity's stated purpose is "organising, encouraging, promoting and developing swimming for people with physical and/or learning disabilities thereby enabling them to participate in swimming with others on a regular basis and all profits (if any) or other income is to be applied in promoting such objects".
The Board of Directors of the Charity comprise Mrs Parsons, local swimming legend Mr Roger Allsopp, director of Sarnia Festival Arts LBG Mr Richard de la Rue and local accountant Mr Mark Haggerty.