Fundraising youngsters from Stratford and Coventry go the extra mile (or 21) by swimming the Channel

EIGHT amazing teenagers have successfully swum the English Channel to raise thousands of pounds for Young Minds Matter.

The swimmers, who are aged 16 to 19 and are members of Stratford Sharks and the City of Coventry swimming clubs, faced strong tides and cold temperatures as they each took to the water for an hour at a time after setting off in the night.

They were split into two teams – the Swim Shadys and Jellyfish Jamboree – with both rotating through their four swimmers until they landed in France more than 21 miles (32km) later. The Swim Shadys – City of Coventry swimmers Bridie Regan, Niamh McIntyre and Hay North with Ben Rowbotham from Stratford Sharks – reached France in 11 hours and 10 minutes.

Strong tides made the task harder for Jellyfish Jamboree – Bryan McSharry and Lily Cobble from City of Coventry and Stratford Sharks’ Molly Bullock and Theo Skirvin – as they finished in 12 hours and 24 minutes.

It was a challenging experience, as Ben, 17, explained: “About two days before we set off, we found out that we would have to swim overnight.

“This was a completely new experience for all of us and we were all a bit worried about swimming in the dark. It was also quite tough keeping close to our support boat because the tide was pushing us either towards or away from the boat.”

Theo, 18, added: “Wetsuits are not allowed when you swim the English Channel, so we had to cope with the cold water wearing only swimming trunks or costumes. We started training in local lakes without wetsuits back in April so that we were prepared for the cold.”

Some swimmers also had to overcome seasickness and a lack of sleep to complete the challenge, but they were determined to reach France – and now they want to reach their fundraising target.

So far they have raised £9,800. They want to raise £20,000 to help Young Minds Matter continue its free mentoring service in Warwickshire schools to support young people’s mental health.

To donate, visit https://tinyurl.com/4d3zc539