Story
Hi, I'm Luke Belfield; I grew up with Juvenile Arthritis since age 11.
I will swim from England to France Solo 🇫🇷🏊🏽♂️🏴 in September 2025 without a wetsuit. This 21 mile slog through freezing, jellyfish filled waters, is the busiest shipping lane in the world; 2,608 people have successfully crossed; more have summited Mount Everest.
Follow on the live tracker: https://track.rs/ec/
The swim and all expenses are paid for out of my personal pocket; 100% of donations go directly to Arthritis UK, the same charity that helped my parents and I through Arthritis.
I’m in the Arthritis Community, a Webinar with Dr Sen at a High School, a speech at the UCLH Town Hall, been interviewed by Sky News, ITV News, BBC Breakfast, Riverside Radio, and an article written by DAZN. I've done two podcasts, Arthur's Place and Swimmingpod. I attend meetings & annual Away Days with Drs & patients (UCLH PPIE, JAR Project).
My mission is to inspire movement in people with Arthritis through this non-contact, non-impact, non-weight-bearing physical outlet. I was misdiagnosed for two years, I had deep shame of having an "old person's disease"; yet JIA impacts thousands of kids; often kids are undiagnosed or misunderstood. I want to help change that narrative, reduce diagnosis time, and give hope that this long term disease doesn't have to be a barrier from achieving their dreams. My hope is to showcase swimming not only as a sport, but as a pathway to healing, community, and long-term wellbeing. I think back to that 11-year-old boy who just wanted to play football. I want to give that child, and thousands like him; hope.
I might be the first person with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis to swim the English Channel Solo; db
The donations support research, community, and services to improve patient’s quality of life. For example, there is a Residential weekend camp for kids to do activities (archery, mini-golf, white-water rafting) designed to build confidence, peer support, and independence.
Instagram: @arthritisswimmer and YouTube
(Jersey To France Solo Mini-Documentary - 4th July 2025, 31km in 10hrs14mins)
Riverside Radio, Breakfast Show with Jason & Ali.
ITV News: Captain Matthew Webb's 150th Anniversary of Channel Swimming
(Sky News Interview (at the Serpentine Christmas Race) about my English Channel Solo Journey with Arthritis (skip to 10:43))
Arthur's Heroes Podcast: https://arthursplace.co.uk/podcasts/
SwimmingPod Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2HJGBX4XUgGCqF2DISiREC
The English Channel Solo 🇫🇷🏊🏽♂️🏴:
In September 2025, I’ll be taking on one of the toughest solo challenges: swimming the English Channel in nothing but skins, fully adhering to CSA rules—no wetsuit, no touching the boat, non-stop. The journey from England to France spans 34km-42km (or 21 miles point to point), which can take between 7 to 29 hours to finish. Fewer people have swum an English Channel Solo than have climbed Mount Everest, and it’s the busiest shipping lane in the world.
What’s in store? Cold waters (15°C-18°C), pitch-black night swims, unpredictable weather, powerful tides that can double the distance, stinging jellyfish, and random debris. I’ll be eating while swimming, because stopping is not an option. And the start time? I won’t know until the night before, my launch window could be 3 AM or 3 PM, at the mercy of the tides. The swim is brutal; no scenic views, no clear finish line, but it’s a team effort.
I will swim from Jersey to France Solo between 2-7 July as well 🇫🇷🏊♂️🇯🇪
Fundraising 💰:
100% of donations go directly to Arthritis UK (formerly Versus Arthritis), the same charity that helped me and my parents through Arthritis. The swim and all its expenses are paid for out of my personal pocket.
Luke’s Seas, Lakes, & Straits 🏊🏽♂️:
I have spoken about my longer distance swims in 2024 at the Serpentine Swimming Club. And written a blog about swimming cross-continents, from Asia To Europe in the Bosphorus Strait. I will swim Jersey to France in July 2025.
In 2025, I have done four 6 hour qualifying swims, four swimming camps, and 100 100s Off 02:00mins.
Follow My Story:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arthritisswimmer/
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@FromCrutchesToKilometers
Arthur's Place Charity: Arthur's Heroes Podcast: https://arthursplace.co.uk/podcasts/
Luke’s Seas, Lakes, & Straits (2024) 🏊🏽♂️:
• Windermere - 18km, 7hrs 50mins, Water Temp: 15.5°C non-wetsuit.
• Dock2Dock - 15-16km, 6hrs 21mins, Water Temp: 16°C non-wetsuit.
• Lake Ullswater - 14.1km, 5hrs 41mins, Water Temp: 14.5°C non-wetsuit.