A Thetford woman is taking part in a relay swim of the English Channel, to raise money for charity.
Victoria Winterson is a professional sled dog racer by day, but turned to open water swimming when she was diagnosed with osteoarthritis, and other conditions which affect her back. Vic was advised by doctors that she wasn’t supposed to run, and avoid high impact activity. She suddenly found she could no longer do the things that she enjoyed. “The diagnosis was really bad on my mental health,” she said.
Growing up in Blackpool, Vic’s relationship with water started at an early age. “I used to enjoy taking the odd little dip in the sea,” she said.
Now suffering from chronic pain, Vic’s love for the water was rekindled after joining a group who swim in local waterways around Thetford. The Breckland Outdoor Swimming club has members of all ages and abilities, up to the age of 80. Vic credits her love for swimming for improving her mental, as well as physical, health.
“The second I am in the water, my back is relieved,” she said. “The group all look out for one another, it’s really saved my sanity!”
Vic is determined not to let her health conditions get in the way of her ambition, and this year she is embarking on her most challenging swim yet – a relay crossing of the English Channel. Six swimmers will take it in turns to swim sections of the 21-mile stretch open ocean, which is roughly 1,400 lengths of a standard swimming pool!
The swim is organised by Aspire, a charity who support people paralysed by spinal cord injuries. The charity have been running Channel relay swims since 2009, and in that time have guided 104 teams to France, all raising money to provide accessible housing, independent living and much more. They also run an annual Channel Challenge, where people can sign up to swim the length of the Channel, from the comfort of their own pool.
Vic, though, has decided to take on the real thing. “Despite my diagnosis, I didn’t realise how lucky I was that I could still do a number of things I enjoy. Those who have suffered a Spinal Cord Injury are not so lucky and I want to help as much as possible,” she said.
Vic has already raised over £2,000 for Aspire on her JustGiving page, and anyone wishing to donate can scan the QR code opposite. Vic also has her sights set on the future, and hopes to one day tackle the entire fourteen hour Channel swim on her own. “It’s extremely expensive and you have to be qualified, but I’d love to take it on at some point in the next five years,” she said.
Weather permitting, Vic’s relay swim will take place on Thursday, 31st July, with three training weekends between now and then. “Good luck” from all of us at About Thetford!
UPDATE FROM VIC!
“I thought I would send you an update from mine and my team’s first training weekend at Dover!
The weather was lovely — around 20 degrees on both days — but the sea temperature was between 11 and 12 degrees. Our first swim on Saturday was for 30 minutes, followed by an hour’s break, then another swim lasting 40 minutes. Most of the team struggled with the cold after exiting the water and had to layer up — looking more like they were ready for the ski slopes than a warm, sunny day at the beach! I helped one of my teammates get wrapped up, as they were suffering quite badly.
The second swim went a little better for the team, although not everyone managed to stay in for the full 40 minutes.
That evening, we had a lovely meal together and got to know each other a little more, which was really nice.
The following day, we met at the beach again — a little earlier this time. We were to swim for 45 minutes, have another hour’s break, and then finish with a 30-minute swim. One teammate dropped out due to being unwell but kindly helped support the rest of us.
The sea was quite choppy on both days, which added a bit of extra fun for some of us — though most swimmers ended up inhaling or swallowing water as they swam. Unfortunately, during the 45-minute swim, another swimmer suffered badly with hypothermia and had to be rescued. An ambulance and the air ambulance attended. We later learned the swimmer had been discharged from hospital, which was a huge relief. Due to the incident, the second swim was cancelled.
This weekend really highlighted the importance of acclimatising to cold water. I was lucky to have committed to swimming and dipping all winter in both lakes and the sea, so my recovery after each swim was relatively easy.
Thank you again for all of your support!“
— Victoria Winterson
