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5kms - 5 SWIMMERS - £5000 FOR OXFAM

Considering there are plenty of ferries to get you across the Solent in less than half an hour it does seem bizarre to swim it.  When I've spoken to people it has been a mixture of wow to you're nuts!  So here are answers to some questions people have asked already.

Why am I swimming the Solent?

I live about 10 mins walk from Southsea Beach and have been regularly swimming in the sea in the early morning since 2006 to get fit after my daughter was born. I did a 2km swim in the Thames a couple of years ago and have met a few people who have done the crossing so thought I'd give it a go.

Why am I raising money for Oxfam?

During my travels I've seen immense poverty and believe we don't need alot to physically survive. We have so much in the UK when there are people in the world who don't have access to fresh water or enough food to eat. I wanted to raise money for a global organisation who are passionate about fighting poverty together. Oxfam don't just work on disaster relief and emergencies, they develop projects to put people in charge of their own lives and also work in the UK. I've been a regular donor for a number of years and buy Oxfam Unwrapped for Xmas.  Last year I volunteered for Oxfam to organise the logistics for their runners and supporters for the Great South Run.

When is the swim?

At the end of July when the tides are right and the water temperature if a bit warmer.  We are aimed for the week of 23 July and the actual date will depend on the weather.

Am I swimming alone?

No - there are 5 of us swimming. Chris - a swimming teacher, who is swimming the channel in September and doing this as her warmup. Maggie, another swimming teacher, Heather who works at Portsmouth University and is a researcher in cold water immersion, Stever Harris, a presenter from Radio Solent and me!

Don't I need safety cover with all the boats around?

Yes, the Solent Coastguard produce comprehensive guidelines about Cross Solent Swims. We have to have 2 safety boats and a kayaker per person.

What's the route and how long will it take?

The long one! It is possible to swim from Ryde to Gillkicker point on the Gosport side. We have decided to go the long route from Ryde pier to the war memorial on Southsea Common. It is about 3.25 miles or 5kms (that's about 200 lengths of a 25m pool). It should take us about 3 hours.

Am I wearing a wetsuit?

I've been wearing a wetsuit or rash vest during the winter but will try to manage without a wetsuit for the swim as it will slow me down.

Isn't it cold in the sea at the moment?

Yes definitely! It's about 9 degrees and I've managed to swim about 200m at present. The sea temperatures should now get a bit warmer and will be up to 14 or 15 degrees by the end of July.

How much training have I done?

I've been swimming in the sea about 2/3 times per week since this time last year.  I've been training seriously in the pool since last November.  I join a stamina class with others to do timed swims and one long pool session.  I'm up to doing 3kms in 1.5 hours and will need to push this up to 5km by June.

What fundraising am I doing?

Besides this just giving page I'm running a curry night and a friend of mine is doing a tea and cake afternoon.  I've also got various shops to have an Oxfam collection point.

So if you'd like to support me that would be fantastic.  More updates to follow!

Thank you so much.

Helen

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