Mum to swim English Channel to celebrate 50th Birthday

Saturday 05 May 2018

Most people throw a party, go on a relaxing holiday or enjoy a nice meal to celebrate their 50th Birthday, but not Karen Gallichan… She’s decided to swim the English Channel.

But for Karen, who describes herself as “just an ordinary middle-aged single mum who likes to swim”, this is more than just a birthday challenge - it’s to help people with Autism.

It's a condition that’s very close to Karen’s heart as not only is she the manager at the Autism Jersey Boutique, but her son also has the developmental disorder.

She’s taken on the challenge to swim from Dover to Cap Gris Nez on the north coast of France, which she expects to take around 20 hours to complete, to raise £10,000 for an Autism Jersey bursary, specifically to fund qualifications or opportunities that will improve quality of life or enhance employment prospects for adults on the autism spectrum.

Karen reasons: “This will be a day out of my life and I am sure it will be tough in places but it’s only one day, and it’s nothing compared to what my son had to cope with… And hopefully it will raise a lot of money to help adults with autism do worthwhile things.”

Pictured: Karen will swim all the way to Cap Gris Nez in France, which will take around 20 hours.

She’s done a lot of training including a swim around Jersey, where she clocked in at 11 hours and five minutes, making her the fastest local woman to swim it in 2017. Karen also plans to swim between Jersey and France in July, to get her ready for the 21 mile crossing which she hopes to do in the first week of September.

Luckily her cross-channel swim is being sponsored by Santander International, which has taken the pressure off fundraising, but she has also held a fashion show and a ‘dip at dawn’ sea swim to raise money.

The managing director, James Pountney, said: "We’re delighted to be sponsoring Karen in her Channel Swim challenge to raise money for an Autism Jersey bursary. Karen is an amazing lady who is an inspiration to so many. We wish her every success with her training and future challenge, and look forward to being part of her incredible journey over the coming months.”

Fewer than 2,000 people have completed the English Channel solo swim. Something Karen never thought she’d do: “Swimming has changed my life. If someone had said to me five years ago I’d be swimming the Channel in my 50^th year, I’d never have believed them.”

People can sponsor Karen via her Just Giving page.