Fund raising efforts for Wiveliscombe Pool are ramping up to help keep its future above water.

A team of 6 are planning on swimming the English Channel in support of Wivey Pool.

The team has very strong connections to the pool, from lifeguards, annual members and even people who learnt to swim there.

Wivey Pool has struggled with rocketing energy bills since the start of the energy crisis. Recently it has made heating the pool to safe temperatures unsustainable and its future uncertain. The team are trying to raise £100,000 to pursue eco friendly heating and energy solutions and cut their dependancy on gas.

The Wivey Wildcats Channel Swim 2023 will be a big focus for the community surrounding the pool and there are hopes that it will also bring in more donors. The team consists of 6 swimmers, 4 from the Wiveliscombe community who regularly volunteer as part of their Bronze Duke of Edinburgh award and 2 regular users of the pool from Taunton.

Hamish McCarthy a Wivey Pool trustee and teacher is organising and providing training for the channel swim. He said: “So far we have raised over £25,000 from our generous community towards our £100,000 target.”

However Fundraising like this also has considerable costs involved. Costing approximately £4,000 to swim the channel as a relay, the team are looking for a sponsor to help with the funding and make the project affordable for the younger children involved.

None of the team are competitive swimmers and have been training for a year with Hamish to accomplish this goal, many swimming around Lyme Regis and Westbay.

The team are:

Susannah Rook aged 14

Asta Myram aged 14

Gabriel McCarthy aged 15

Helen Hounslow aged 17 (a lifeguard at the pool)

Archie Bollom aged 15

Jack Bollom aged 17

Hamish boasts an impressive track record, in the last 7 years he has coached 8 successful Channel swims as well as 3 relay swims around Jersey and 2 of lake Zurich. “I enjoy swimming and regularly undertake long swims along the Jurassic coast, around the South West and abroad.”He added.

With a Army background, Hamish first started channel swimming in 2007 when he crossed with an Army team. He was then in charge of training for various channel crossings from Gibraltar to throughout the UK including training injured service personnel. He now offers his expertise training for his school and for Wiveliscombe pool.

The English Channel is a 21 mile stretch of busy water. Swims take place from Shakespeare Beach, Dover to Cap Gris Nez (Cape Grey Nose).

The Channel has become the most iconic swim to tackle in the world. It is know as the ‘Everest of swimming’ due to approximately one quarter of all attempts failing. The sea is often choppy and cold proving tough conditions for swimming.