Swimming Butterfly Around The Island Of Jersey

Buntingford Ward Freman Swimming Pool
Last winter our local 25m swimming pool was closed down. To me the biggest loss is for the children of Buntingford. Our schools used this facility to teach children to swim and many children (including our daughter) participated in the Swim England Learn To Swim Programme run at this centre.

Butterfly Around Jersey
Between 21-25 July, when the weather is favourable, I will be swimming butterfly around the Island of Jersey to raise money to help re-open the pool. This swim has never been done before using the butterfly stroke, and although it is tidally assisted, it will still take approximately 12-13 hours of swimming, and if I swim too slowly I will miss the tides and fail to complete it.

I have swum long distances of butterfly before, including the stretch from Jersey to France, but this swim poses even bigger challenges. It will be my longest swim to date and it requires me to maintain a minimum swim speed and finally the conditions are likely to be less favourable as the sea tends to be choppier on each of the ‘corners’ of the island which is particularly tough when swimming butterfly. Throughout the swim I will be escorted by the highly experienced pilot Matt with his boat Lionheart, I will also have crew and official observers onboard the pilot boat.

Please Donate If You Can
In undertaking this epic challenge, I want to raise as much money as possible to help reopen Buntingford swimming pool ensure all children in our area have access to facilities that will help them learn essential lifesaving skills, and to provide the rest of the community with a facility to help their health and well-being.