The English Channel is 36km across and is one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world. There are strong tides and currents, not to mention the jellyfish, which definitely sting.

This summer Harry & Emily will be aiming to swim from Folkestone to France, in the actual Channel in a relay.

We will swim in the dark and we will be swimming in 'skins', just our swimsuits, swimming cap and goggles, no wetsuits allowed!

Harry has completed this challenge once already in 2024 but this will be Emily's first time.

We've already completed a 2 hour qualifying swim in Liverpool Docks in water that was 15.4C and we recently completed the Channel up North - an overnight swim in a lake in Cheshire.

Get comfortable with the uncomfortable our Coach tells us - you can't get more out of my comfort zone than swimming in the dark with just a tow float and a glow stick for company!

We'd really appreciate any donation to our JustGiving page. Mencap are an incredibly underfunded charity and they do vital work supporting children and adults with a learning disability achieve their hopes and dreams.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.