I am excited to be part of such a wonderful channel relay team of ladies. I learnt to swim properly (all 4 strokes) as an adult once both my daughters were at school. The idea of learning to swim properly was both daunting and exciting. I’m proud of what I’ve achieved, and it’s been brilliant for my mental health, as it’s both me time, physical exercise and social catch up with friends. 

My friend Jess & I did a 1 day sea swimming course in 2020 and she casually suggested a channel relay swim, to which I said a spontaneous yes! Not thinking about the 21 mile distance, cold water (14 degrees) waves, jelly fish, seals, sea sickness, etc. We gathered a team of 5 crazy ladies and booked the pilot and boat for our crossing in June 2022.

We decided to self fund our swim (around £4, 500 between us) as it’s our challenge. We’ve each been asked if it’s a sponsored event and decided if we could raise some cash for good caused then why not. 

The way a channel relay works is that we each swim in rotation for 1 hour each then 4 hours on the boat battling sea sickness until it’s time to plop (bad choice of word!) back in the water for another hours swim. We estimate that it will take us 15-20 hours, but it very much depends on the tide and wind direction.  

We are swimming with the CSA channel swimming association, who provide an observer who checks we stick to the rules, which include no touching the boat, no touching each other at the end of the hour changeover, no switching the swim order etc.

We can only wear a swimming costume, hat and goggles, no neoprene allowed, so we’ve been acclimatising to cold water. I dipped outdoors ever day and 2 nights in January to get used to the cold. 

Fast forward and it’s now only 3 months away eek 😬 We have to get lots of sea swimming and some night swimming in before June! 

Mind is a charity which in my opinion has never been more relevant and needed. By supporting the Norfolk & Waveney branch funds raised will go to help local people.

A few words from mind “Central Mind’s work is the promotion on wellness and recovery. We believe that with the right support and resources everybody can create a life that feels meaningful irrespective of the presence of symptoms. To do this we share our own stories, insights and expertise.The support from our local community and organisations is integral to our success of our vision, together we are stronger and we will continue to work hard so that no one has to face mental health problems alone.”