A woman from Greenwich is planning to make a splash for charity by taking part in a cross-Channel swim.
Molly Southwood (née Porter, GHS Class of 1999) will be among a team of 6 who will set off from Dover, UK, taking it in turns to swim an hour at a time until they make shore in France.
The swim is scheduled to take place July 5, 2024 but the exact timing is dependent on tides and the weather.
The team is taking part in an English Channel Relay swim to raise funds for SwimTayka – a UK-based charity, which runs swimming programs in low resource countries, in locations alongside water, where learning to swim isn’t part of the culture, so risk of drowning is high.
Molly, aged 42, who now lives in Devon, UK, is already in training, swimming at her local beaches and taking part in SwimTayka training weekends at Dover, to prepare for the crossing.
As well as the swim itself, Molly needs to be prepared to cope with jellyfish, debris in the water, currents and seasickness.
“I’ve always loved swimming, and was on the Greenwich High School Swim team, but this is a totally different level. The cold-water training is grueling, but I am really excited to take part.”
Bryan Avery, founder of SwimTayka, said Molly and the team would join an elite group of Channel swimmers, raising much-needed funds at the same time.
“More people have climbed Everest than have swum the Channel, and we’re very grateful to Molly and the team for volunteering to take part in this challenge,” Bryan said.
“We run programmes teaching local children to swim in places as far-flung as Bali, Peru and Brazil – all coastal locations where learning to swim simply isn’t part of the curriculum, leaving children at high risk of drowning. Every year, 360,000 people drown worldwide, and at SwimTayka, our mission is to drive down this alarming statistic.”
Molly is aiming to raise £1,800 (GBP) for SwimTayka and has a fundraising page at https://www.justgiving.com/page/molly-southwood-1709051755290 (You can donate in US dollars).
For more information about SwimTayka’s work, opportunities to volunteer on the swim teaching programs, and to find out more about English Channel Relay swims, visit Swim Tayka.