My Story
Who are we? We are 4 competitive swimmers all competing at a national level. Our relay is mixed with two female and two male swimmers. We all train hard and swim up to 16 hours a week each so we are not too worried about the actual swimming side of things. We are all 16 or 17 years old and balance our swimming (and this crossing!) with full time education. Excelling both academically and at swimming we want to go one step further and do something truly extraordinary. What are we doing? Four intrepid teenage swimmers from Hackney Aquatics Club (https://www.hackneyaquaticsclub.org/) and Anaconda SC (https://www.anacondaswimmingclub.org.uk/) are preparing for the greatest challenge of their lives to help Cancer Research UK. The English Channel is considered one of the most difficult open water swims in the world due to its combination of cold water temperatures, unpredictable tides, strong currents, heavy shipping traffic, and often rough weather conditions, making it significantly harder than most other open water swims. The team will need to cover at least 33km and may need to swim much further. Their attempt is booked for late June 2025, in a window from the 19th to the 25th. The crossing will be attempted in accordance with the Channel Swimming Association (CSA: https://www.channelswimmingassociation.com/) who will have an observer on board carefully watching that all the rules are followed. These include not wearing wetsuits (!), not touching the boat or anyone else. Read more about these here: https://www.channelswimmingassociation.com/faq The pilot will be Andy and James King, with the their vessel, the Louise Jane II that is a catamaran specially adapted for supporting crossings. It offers greater stability so hopefully reduced chances of seasickness for the team and has cameras fitted to both sides for maximum flexibility. Why are we doing this? Unfortunately everyone is affected by cancer with more than 1000 new cases every single day in the UK. Thankfully cancer survival rates are improving and have doubled in the last 50 years. Cancer Research UK (CRUK) funds scientists, doctors and nurses to help beat cancer sooner. We are aiming to raise at least £2500 in aid of CRUK through our Channel crossing attempt. The crossing will also challenge us personally. We will learn to face the unknown, deal with our fears and the unexpected. All of these will make us stronger people, better prepared for life. How can you help? There are two main ways that we would like everyone to help. Firstly, please donate. Anything you can offer is hugely appreciated no matter how large or small. Some of the ways we are fund raising include suggested gifts but don't let that hold you back! Secondly, please help us spread the word! We are a small team and will be relying on you and our other supporters to help get more people behind the idea. Can you pass on our story or the link to this website to a group you are in? Could you pop a poster up in your workplace, shop or school? Could you repost some of our pictures? Or could you provide an opportunity for us to take part in an event or gathering - we bake a mean cookie and are always willing to talk about our swimming!
