We are a group of sea swimmers who are on a mission to raise as much money as we can by swimming a crazy long distance in the freezing North Sea.

The Four Island Challenge, set over 11k, is in aid of the Laura Hyde Foundation, a charity set up to ensure that all medical and emergency staff have access to the best mental health support network available. 

Our group of experienced water babies, who all come from East Lothian, in Scotland include: 

Linda Malcolm: One of the greatest swimmers ever, she's in charge of our tough training schedule. And blimey, she's hardcore!

Meg Maitland: A veteran sea swimmer who swam the English Channel in a relay team last summer, who also happens to be incredibly glamorous.

Jo Hood: Our gadgets expert who swam every single day in 2020, and takes some cracking photos with her GoPro.

Jeremy Milne: A former GB triathlete with amazingly long legs, he runs the North Berwick Swimming Club for fun. 

Jo Lindsay: A PR guru who is penning her first novel and spends her days dreaming up gruesome murder plots while swimming in the sea.

Bronwyn Macaskill: An all-round athlete and yoga teacher for teenage kids, with ninja capabilities in the water.

Norma Loudon: A huge-hearted nurse who calms her mind with early morning sea swims and some astonishing aqua yoga moves. 

Claire Gardner: A smiling optimist and self-confessed chatterbox, she's even been known to keep a conversation going underwater! 

Together, we are The Salty Selkies!

Our challenge is to swim to four islands in the Firth of Forth, a channel of sea between Dunbar and Fife. The islands include; Bass Rock, Craigleith, Lamb and Fidra..

We will start at Bass Rock and finish at Fidra, before turning in to Yellowcraig Beach in East Lothian’s Dirleton.

To swim to all the islands, and reach dry land before the tide turns, means we need to cover more than 11k in 6 hours - slightly more than the leisurely swims we're used to.

Training to swim this distance really requires a huge commitment, so while some of us will attempt to swim the whole thing, others will be swimming parts of it.

Our monumental adventure will take place mid-September 2021, when the sea is at its warmest, and the jelly fish numbers have reduced. (hopefully)!

We have roped in the services of some wonderful local sea dogs and their support boats, and are also hoping that a few local kayakers will join us for the final leg of the journey.

Our adventure is part of a UK-wide event, called the 'We Remember Them 2021' virtual relay challenge, which will see groups of people across the country doing all sorts of sporting events to raise money for this excellent charity.

Never before has the issue of tackling mental health been so important, given the incredibly difficult year we've all faced. 

For us, the sea has been our sanctuary, so we thought it was the perfect setting for our fund-raising challenge.