Children's Air Ambulance: Medics in English Channel fundraising swim

A team of swimmers has completed a relay across the English Channel to raise money for the Children's Air Ambulance.

Twelve people, including three from the Bristol Children's Hospital began the swim on Monday.

Paediatric intensive care nurse Chloe Green said: "We had heard a lot of horror stories but we saw no sewage, just seaweed, jellyfish and a dogfish."

The swim between Dover and Calais was completed in 14 hours 50 minutes.

Chloe Green, Dr Michelle Winter, and Elizabeth Holdcroft from Bristol, were part of the five-strong Water Warriors team and another team of six medics from London made up the Evelina Starfish team for the fundraiser.

The 22.5 mile stretch (36km) contains some of the world's busiest shipping lanes.

"We swam all through the day and all through the night, we swam through sunsets.

"We had jellyfish going over your shoulder, going under your legs, it was amazing."

Dr Winter added: "For the last stretch as you're heading towards the French coast we could see the lights but it didn't seem to be getting closer for some time.

"It was a real challenge especially towards the end when we were getting tired. It felt like you were in a washing machine at times."

The Water Warriors team has raised more than £10,000 for the Children's Air Ambulance charity which transports critically-ill children by helicopter to cut down on journey times.

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