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On Saturday 23 July, over 67 swimmers battled the ocean waves to complete the 14-mile swim from Jersey to France, which was raising funds for Dementia Jersey. The conditions were just perfect for the challenge swimmers and it was certainly a day to remember with some swimmers getting joined by a large pod of dolphins!
The first team to reach the finish line on the beach just south of Carteret were the Jersey Tools with a time of 6:59:00 closely followed by Chewbacca with a time of 7:17:07 and then we welcomed the first non-wetsuit wearing team, Teddington with a time of 7:40:22.
The lead organiser of the event, Simon O’Donoghue added that “We have been organising these challenges since 2015 with the support of 3D Events and over the years we have been voted within the top ten events within the British Isles twice by Red Bull. For the last two years, we have managed to push ahead with our events through covid with the Sark to Jersey Challenge but this Jersey to France certainly was a very special event”.
He added that “It was the largest number of swimmers to ever take on the challenge of swimming from Jersey to France and what really surprised and impressed us all were the people of Carteret. There were crowds waiting on the beach cheering on our swimmers, local press on the beach taking photos and doing interviews and then the mayor himself hosted an event at the top floor of the new yacht club for the finishers. They allocated specific moorings for us, made the customs experience quick and easy and following this they even put us up in the youth hostel and prepared a fantastic meal for us all. Carteret you should be proud of yourselves we are definitely coming back next year!”
The Jersey France Challenge raised over £ for Dementia Jersey. We spoke with Chris Renouf, Chairman of Dementia Jersey, who had the following comments: “This was the third year that Simon O’Donoghue and the amazing team behind the swim challenge have supported Dementia Jersey for which we are extremely grateful. It’s fantastic to see the growth in the number of participants in the event this year. The money raised will make a huge difference to islanders in Jersey living with dementia and means we can continue to provide life-changing support to them, their families and carers. A huge thank you also to sponsors Spring Investment, Dickinson Gleeson and Axal Leine Recruitment, the skippers of the support boats and of course the amazing swimmers.”
The current fundraising total is sitting at £9,549 with the highest fundraisers, The Sea Slugs raising £3,187.
If you think you have what it takes to take on the challenge keep your eye on our website for updates on next year’s event : https://jerseyfrancechallenge.com/
