To swim the English Channel is an ambition headteacher at Shillingstone CE Primary School Jane Whitehouse-Sharpe has held throughout her life.

And finally, during the week of August 16, Jane will be braving busy shipping lanes, stinging jellyfish, chilly conditions and abrasive salt water on her way to fulfil this lifelong dream while raising vital funds for the coach costs for her pupils’ swimming lessons. It sounds to many people like a nightmare, but for this wild loving swimmer, her excitement is palpable.

“I am brimming with excitement,” said Jane. “I have spent a
lifetime
dreaming of
this. I love
being out in
the elements,
in the middle
of the ocean,
out of my depth and just to be in the moment. And now I can share my excitement with the children.”

Jane along with her teammates, Tom Ungi, Mark Dixon and Elizabeth Rowden, who form the Soggy Bottoms, will be swimming the 22 miles from Dover to the north coast of France, in one-hour relays.

To be recognised officially, Channel swims must be unassisted, so wetsuits are not permitted. So, the Soggy Bottoms will be swimming in ‘skin’, and with the water temperature averaging 16C this is a challenge in itself. Changeable tides, hypothermia and even heart attacks are among the risks posed to those taking on the crossing between England and France. An average of just 300 people a year attempt the 22-mile challenge, with many needing up to two years to prepare.

Because of the tides, Channel swimmers make the crossing in an S shape, which means they clock up far more than 22 miles, with the average crossing time taking about 15 hours. And then there are the jellyfish. Jane will be dodging the swarms of jellyfish which habitat the English Channel. And all swimmers can expect to get stung several times during the distance.

Jane said: “I am a little nervous about the jellyfish. The English Channel is renowned for jellyfish, so I will try and avoid them, but we are all prepared to be stung.”

Optimist will escort the team across the Channel from Dover. Where they will land however, remains something of a mystery.

Jane said: “It is quite difficult to pinpoint exactly where we will land. It may be the sandy beach of Wissent or it could be the rocky cliffs of Cap Gris- Nez, it all depends upon the tides.”

As a young girl, Jane was a competitive swimmer and represented the county but as time passed and her school responsibilities grew, so did the frequency of her outdoor swimming.

However, when she saw Tom and Mark’s advert for outdoor swimmers wanting a challenge, she dived straight in. The Soggy Bottoms was born and the team have been training for 18-months, swimming long-distances in all-weathers around the Poole coastline, and of course, become firm friends.
Jane gives swimming lessons in the pool at Bryanston School, however, with mounting transport costs, getting the children to and from the school is becoming increasingly costly.

Jane said: “We would like to raise money for Shillingstone CE Primary School. In particular, we would like to raise money to help pay for transport to take our children to swimming lessons. It is really important that children learn to swim and have the opportunity to enjoy being in the water. We would really like to organise a special sporting day, where we can inspire the children to take up a sporting
activity. It would be lovely to invite a sports coach into school to share their sporting passion with the children.”

If you would like to sponsor Jane, go to gofund.me/773c131a.

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