Charity for Kids Channel Swim

Jan

14 2012

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Charity for Kids take’s on 1 of the worlds toughest Challenges, a 2-way relay swim from England to France & back to England!

Charity for Kids Chairman Paul Harris is 1of 5 people to take on the challenge of swimming the English Channel in August/September (Weather Dependant) 2013.

Crossing the channel is considered one of the toughest challenges in the world. In 2005, only around 79 people crossed the channel, whilst in 2004, approximately 330 people climbed to the summit of Mount Everest! The swim is around 23 miles across the Strait of Dover (between Dover and Calais), in water temperatures of 15 to 18 degrees Celsius.

Not only are we going to Swim from England to France, but we will also be swimming back again! Yes that’s correct a 2 way swim, some people have said we must be MAD!!

We are only allowed to wear a hat, swim shorts/Speedos (no wet-suits!), goggles, earplugs and grease, we are not allowed help or any contact with anyone once we are in the water. On average a crossing takes 13 hours 23 minutes, with the longest being around 28 hours 44 minutes. There are only around 1179 people who have completed a successful and ratified crossing to date, and a 1 in 6 success rate since Captain Webb completed the first ever crossing back in 1875, taking 21 hours. The channel is also one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world, with over 600 ships per day. This is not the only hazard however. We will also have to watch out for hypothermia from the cold water temperatures, debris and even jelly fish.

Meet the Team

Paul Harris (Chairman Charity for Kids)

Being the Chairman for CFK I would like to say a BIG thank you to the team for taking part in this tough but amazing challenge, there will have to be a lot of commitment to a tough training regime, with this in place it also means a lot of time spent away from thier families!

With there being so few people who have achieved the Channel Crossing I am not expecting this to be easy, this is going to be the hardest thing I have ever done, It will not only be hard on our bodies physically but also mentally. I have never swum in the sea so I feel I have a lot of work ahead, I hope that we reach our target of £15,000.00.

Chris Mepham

Chris is always busy keeping the people of Hastings (East Sussex) safe as he is a Fire Fighter, Chris has been working for the Hastings Fire Brigade for many years now, he is known to his watch as “Casper” he is very active & takes part in many sporting events including Cycling, Running, Swimming, Chris has also taking part in many Half Marathons raising funds for many great causes along with taking part in a lot of Triathlons. When Chris is not working as a Fire Fighter he is a Tree Surgeon, so if you would like the services of Chris please contact him on 07932 746373

Garry Cairns

Garry is 31 married with 2 children Amber 3 & Leo who is 8 weeks old, Garry currently works with Chris Mepham in the Hastings Fire Brigade (White Watch) where he has been for the last 2 years, he is known to his team as “The Hoff”. This year will see Garry serve his 18th year for the Eastbourne Lifeguards where he keeps the town’s beech safe. When he gets some spare time Garry tries to get to the Gym, but most of all he feels at home in the Sea whether it’s Kayaking, Swimming or Surfing, Gary will be one the teams strongest Swimmers & is looking forward to the Challenge!

Luke Sherwood

Luke is 21 years of of age & works for Summerfield’s Gymnastics Club where he has been for the last 3 years, Luke is extremely passionate about what he does this has resulted in him winning the Sussex Award for Young Coach of the Year (2011). Luke likes to relax by watching Gymnastics, Rugby & MOTO GP, along with this he is also a keen Swimmer & used to swim for Seagulls Swimming Club (Hastings) for 5 years progressing through the different levels, with this in mind Luke along with Garry will be one of the stronger swimmers.

Jasmin Gray

Jasmin is 21 years old, a keen footballer and plays for Bexhill united ladies. She has completed 4 sessions at Brighton and Hove Albion and 2 sessions playing football for Chelsea Ladies Academy. She works all other Hasting, Battle and Bexhill coaching many sports, including football and netball. As well as coaching she works as a gym instructor and personal trainer with 20/20 Health and Freedom Leisure. She accomplished the Hastings ½ Marathon last year, Jasmin loves a challenge and will do anything to reach the finish line.

1st step made of Paul in a Wetsuit