Crosswords: The English Channel Relay Swim Blog

How hard can swimming the English Channel really be… I thought to myself as I watched Channel 4’s Sink or Swim during the first lockdown.

Surely if Arg from TOWIE – and a bunch of celebs who had to learn to swim before their attempt – are up to it then I, who has swum all my life, including competitively in my younger years, could do it?

And so, my lockdown plan for a major milestone birthday in a couple of years was born. And when Mark Kingston asked if I’d be interested in joining the team it was like it was meant to be. I didn’t hesitate in signing up because:

• I knew I could swim for an hour and I could happily lounge around on the deck getting a tan for five hours and then pop back in for another hour if needed.
• It would be a tick on my ‘bucket list’.
• It would be fun doing it with other people from the industry.
• Previous Light Fund fundraising challenges have been so impressive – this was one I could do without too much effort.
• And even better, someone else was willing to do the organising.

Fast forward a few months and I have a whole new level of respect and understanding for the team of celebs that took part in that TV show. It turns out it’s a little more complicated than finding five other crazy people and booking a boat! Reality has started to set in…

• This may not be the opportunity to top up my tan.
• There is no Apple Watch setting to make training easier.
• I’m regularly meeting my fellow licensing professionals in a swimming costume… that was definitely NOT on my bucket list.
• Open water swimming is COLD – I did wonder what the point of a heated steering wheel was, until after my first swim in 12.8 degrees when I couldn’t move my fingers. But it is mind over matter and now quite enjoyable. The impact on your body, hair and skin is so refreshing – and partly why I gained the nickname L’Oréal… or L’OL for short.
• The conditions may not be lake-like and sea sickness is a serious possibility. Top tips on good meds are welcome.
• When sea or lake swimming I would swim breaststroke and enjoy the social side and my surroundings. We have strict instructions – it’s freestyle only.
• Swimming freestyle for an hour is a bit boring – what do you think about? Previously I was focused on counting lengths and mixed up the strokes to help. No counting needed for this swim.
• I’ve come to terms with the possibility that the tide may mean I swim for an hour without making much forward progress. But what if I end up actually going backwards?
• The biggest influence on whether our attempt is successful will not be solely down to the efforts and the preparations of the teams. Mother Nature also needs to be on our side – the tide, waves and the weather.

Swimming is in my blood…

Personally, I see swimming as a life skill and given that water has always been a major feature in my family holidays, my children inherited my love of the water, too. They have both been members of our local swimming club from an early age where I also used to swim and, of course, I am very proud of my kids. But being a tad competitive, when my daughter began to overtake me (and my son’s not far off) I started to think I might need a new sporting challenge that I can claim – although knowing my daughter I’m sure she will attempt it too one day and probably go one better and do it solo. Not quite sure where she gets her competitive streak from…

It wasn’t until I did the qualifying swim that it really dawned on me that this was going to be hard. Waves are tricky, particularly if you’re trying to avoid downing pints of sea water, which really isn’t very tasty. And given I live as far away from the sea as physically possible in the UK, how was I going to get sea swimming practice?

Roll on our half term and our (pool) swimming camp in Eyemouth (Scotland) a trip we as a family have been making since 2014. As luck would have it, Eyemouth is a coastal town, but funnily enough never once have I considered swimming in the North Sea in October… but this year I did.

Over the six days I swam daily in water temperatures that started at 12.1C dropping to 11.5C on the last day. I was proud of myself for doing it, and even prouder that my doing it encouraged others from the camp to join me. So, with a combination of peer pressure and overwhelming support ensured we swam every day. Extra credit goes to the friendly seals popping up unexpectedly during the swims. Like Whack-a-Mole we never knew quite where they might appear next which created a bit of anxiety and fun. But most importantly everyone who joined me loved it and I’m sure we have started a new tradition for future camps!

Which brings me onto our very first squad gathering at the beginning of October – fortunately we were all able to attend a workshop weekend despite the threat of increasing cases of Covid. Luckily for me, having tested positive earlier in September I was out of isolation and no lingering symptoms so was able to participate and what a weekend it was.

Night swimming in Taplow lake in the rain was a fantastic experience, made more interesting by the Oktoberfest taking place in the Club House overlooking the lake and beers in the Biergarten tent afterwards.

The next day was an early start with a timed mile swim, followed by a masterclass in freestyle technique from former British and Olympic medallist Cassie Pattern and an encouraging talk from 11-time solo Channel swimmer, Karteek Clarke.

And now as we put into practice what we’ve learnt and the world opens up, business travel has resumed for some of the team who have had a chance to train in warmer climates including Turkey and Dubai. But as we’re all discovering, after you’ve experienced the exhilaration of cold-water swimming, warm-pool swimming isn’t the same. At least it enables you to rack up the mileage though, and we definitely need to build our strength and stamina to ensure this challenge has the best chance of success.

A big shout out this month goes to Kate Warlock and Terry Lamb who were the last two of the squad to complete their qualifying assessment swim off the Isle of Wight coast – and in true team spirit were accompanied and supported by Katie Price and Simon Gresswell. With eight months to go, the whole squad is swim qualified – now we’ve just got to pass the medical fitness tests in the New Year!

Nobody puts the 2022 swim team in the corner (except Mother Nature or maybe a doctor if we don’t pass our medicals!). While social media has many negatives, one of its biggest strengths is bringing people together no matter where we are located.

Our WhatsApp group is a steady stream of updates and stunning photographs, providing uplifting, encouraging and supportive comments for the whole team which has truly united us. Whether it’s a shared feeling of being scared, determined, proud, happy, or cold we are united whether we are together in person or not. I feel honoured to be part of our journey.

The efforts of the squad have exceeded all my expectations and I’m in awe – what an amazing bunch of dedicated people. The dedication is not just to the training, but also to the fundraising which has been outstanding. For me, the licensing industry has always been defined by the people who work in it; it is an industry based on partnerships that ultimately support each other and I’ve been reminded of that by the generosity of companies and individuals with their sponsorship so far.

Our fundraising target is £250,000 and to date we’ve secured just over half with eight months to go. We know these past 18-20 months have been tough, and we’re not out of the woods yet, but we do hope that the industry and partner industries, both in the UK and internationally, will continue to rally behind us and help us reach, hopefully exceed, our target.

Contact me or any other squad members to find out about sponsorship opportunities. Or you can sponsor via our Just Giving page (www.justgiving.com/fundraising/thelightfundenglishchannelrelayswim2022).

Lastly, with Christmas only seven weeks away, if you’re looking for Christmas gifts for staff, businesses or friends – look no further! In true licensing industry style, one of the most creative fundraising opportunities is our partnership with Another Beer, initiated by Kevin Langstaff. Another Beer is brewing two bespoke craft beers – High Hops and Hoptimist, aptly named after our boats High Hopes and Optimist.

If you haven’t placed your orders already, please order a case or three by 15 November, delivery will be before Christmas. Orders can be placed at www.anotherbeer.co.uk. There will definitely be no issues with shipping costs or availability of containers. And best of all, 50% of all the profit is being donated to The Light Fund – what a fantastic gift and a great way to have some tasty craft beers at Christmas and support our fundraising efforts.

So, with just under eight months until ‘go’, I choose not to think about what obstacles might come our way or indeed what is lurking in the Channel underneath us as we swim. What I don’t know, I can’t think about and when I’m not thinking about it, I can’t worry about it. Instead, what I can be 100% sure of is that next June the teams will be ready to go, and we will get to France.

And yes, I am still secretly hoping that I will get the opportunity to get a tan!

The English Channel Relay Swim in aid of The Light Fund is due to take place between 30 June and 3 July, 2022. For full details on the sponsorship opportunities, you can contact Stephen Gould, Mark Kingston, Simon Gresswell or Anne Bradford by clicking on their respective names. Everything you need to know about the swim can also be found by clicking here.