Do you fancy swimming the English Channel, without leaving Southwark? – well from this Monday you can!
Everyone Active on behalf of Southwark Council, are encouraging local people to support spinal cord injury charity, Aspire, by signing up to its Channel Swim Challenge.
The challenge is to swim the length of the English Channel at your local leisure centre in a bid to raise vital funds for a national charity.
The Castle, Camberwell, Dulwich and Seven Islands leisure centres are starting the Channel Swim Challenge, from this Monday 10 September.
Participants will have twelve weeks to swim a total of 22 miles, the distance of the English Channel. All money raised will support Aspire to continue helping those with spinal cord injuries to live independent and fulfilled lives.
Every eight hours someone in the UK is paralysed by a spinal cord injury. Aspire provides a wide-range of assistance to those effected, including much-needed housing support, grants to purchase vital equipment and advisors who offer practical support to patients on spinal cord units.
Last year, more than 6,500 Aspire Channel Swimmers raised a total of £625,000. Aspire is hoping to make this year’s event even bigger through the support of organisations such as Everyone Active.
Kathryn Boyd, event manager for the Aspire Channel Swim, said: “Aspire Channel Swimmers truly are amazing. Fewer people have swum the Channel than conquered Everest, yet every year thousands of people take on 22 miles over 12 weeks in pools across the country. It’s an incredible achievement and one that helps support hundreds of spinal cord injured people every year.”
Jacqui Tillman, head of swimming at Everyone Active, added: “The work that the team at Aspire carry out is fantastic and we are delighted to be supporting them.
“The Channel Swim Challenge is a fantastic way for people to raise money for a great cause while also improving their own health and wellbeing by getting active. I would encourage as many people as possible to get involved.”
The challenge will run from Monday 10 September to Monday 3 December.
To sign up, visit www.everyoneactive.com/AspireSwim or www.aspirechannelswim.co.uk.