English Channel relay challenge for young swimmers

Ready to swim the English Channel - Annabel Wilson and Sam Bainbridge

A group of swimmers from the Sleaford area have formed a relay team to swim across the English Channel to raise money for charity.

This is the third annual charity swim and the team is hoping to raise more than last year's £5,000.

The money will go to the Jane Tomlinson Appeal for children's and cancer charities.

The team plans to swim the English Channel during the beginning of July beginning at 1am on Friday morning.

In total there are 12 swimmers taking part who've had to take part in the training forming two different relay teams. The Webfeet team and the Dover-n-Over team which includes Chris Bainbridge, Sam Bainbridge, Tim Robinson, Will Scrupps, Kate Sutton and Annabel Wilson.

Sam Bainbridge from the Dover-n-Over team explains about the training: "You have to take a medical test to make sure you are fit to swim it, then you have to do two hour swims in open water to make sure that you're actually fit to do it in the real event".

The Jane Tomlinson Appeal for children's and cancer charities

Jane was diagnosed with incurable, advanced metastatic breast cancer in August 2000. The disease spread was extensive and the prognosis was for her to survive six months.

Over a seven year period, Jane fought through numerous courses of chemotherapy and various drug regimes despite also developing chronic heart disease.

During this period Jane, a mother of three from Leeds, took on a series of apparently impossible challenges for someone suffering from cancer and undergoing chemotherapy treatment.

More information about the two teams taking part in the swimming relay

Information about the Dover-n-Over team

Information about the Webfeet team