Charity Work – Corinna’s Channel swim raises over £14,000 for MQ

Originally Published 28 Sept, 2020

We were delighted to hear from OH parent Dr Ian Bridges (L 62) who contacted us about his daughter Corinna Bridges (C 00) who in 2020 completed her first solo swim across the English Channel for charity.

Corinna has swum the Channel before as part of a relay when at Haileybury in 2001, trained by Nick Adams. She always wanted to do it again, and twenty years later, on 11th August 2020, she managed it!

No easy feat

At over twenty miles, through the world’s busiest shipping lane, and fighting against tide and current, Swimming the Channel is no easy feat. Corinna’s preparation was meticulous, with significant training (750 miles, approx 1200 Km) and cold water acclimatisation needed. This was not made any easier this year with Covid regulations in place; indeed the swim was delayed from July to August as a consequence.

“Some call this the “Everest” of swimming challenges. I haven’t climbed Everest, but every time you pause (to feed or rest), you are pulled backwards. I don’t think that happens on land. All I can say is that it was a bloody hard slog!!”
Corinna Bridges (C 00)

An early start

Crossing the Channel is a slow and dangerous challenge and one which, on the day, also requires that the swimmer is fully prepared for the day ahead. Following a 1am start, by 2am Corinna was being prepared for the swim by the application of layers of protective sunscreen and Vaseline to keep out the cold and protect the skin. At 3am, when Corinna entered the water in the morning, there was no going back!

Nausea, diesel fumes and jellyfish…

Indeed, the swim was not only a battle against exhaustion, it was also a battle of will power – against both physical and mental challenges. In her description of the swim, Corinna describes being fed from “feed” bottles and then a particularly shocking bout of nausea – lasting several hours – as she had to overcome the diesel fumes form the accompanying support vessel. Not to mention the many jellyfish stings she had to endure!

But, through astonishing willpower and the encouragement of her support crew throughout, she never gave up.

Triumph at last!

Corinna’s blog describes the pain and agony she endured in order to achieve her aim. In her own words,

“I kept on. I think I “sprinted” for the last two hours. I just wanted it to be over. And then those magical words. Last feed! LAST FEED! No more than 30 minutes left. Hurrah! I looked up, and I could see the Cap! The magical Cap Gris-Nez. And La Serene – the restaurant on the cliff where the owner (in pre covid times) would come and give successful swimmers a glass of fizz and congratulations. I was exactly where I wanted to be. Relief.

So I lifted it a bit more – final push. And then I saw Harry getting the tender off the boat and he disappeared around the other side. Matt and Hannah waved me over to him (as in my confusion I kept swimming but was confused when the boat stopped). I saw Harry rowing in and followed him in. It was only at this point that I knew I had made it. (Luckily I was right… swims have been aborted this close to shore). Finally, I started to see the ground underneath me. Big rocks, little fish, the water was clear.

Then Harry stopped too. I swam the last ten metres to what looked like a suitable rock to clamber up onto. And then realised there was water behind it. So I clambered over that one and reached the shore properly. Somehow I raised my arms and heard the klaxon… a magical and jubilant sound for any channel swimmer. That’s me! A Channel Swimmer!”

A worthy cause

Corinna’s achievement is truly magnificent, being in the water from 3am to 5.45 pm – swimming for 14 hours 45 minutes!. As well as fulfilling a personal ambition, she has also so far raised over £13690 for her chosen charity, MQ, a mental health organisation aiming to find new breakthroughs in the understanding, treatment and prevention of mental illness. As she says,

“MQ: Mental Health Research is a charity so important to me – the anxiety and depression comes and goes, but lurks in the background waiting to prey on a weak moment. Anything that MQ can do to in their efforts to create a world where mental illness is understood, effectively treated, and ultimately prevented is welcomed by me.”

More about cross-Channel swimming

To find out more about the Channel Swimming Association and Corinna’s timings and more photographs, please click here

More about MQ: Mental Health Research

MQ: Mental Health Research is a charity dedicated to improving mental health for everyone. Although Corinna’s own fund raising initiative has closed, you can still help fund research that leads to better treatments, better support and faster diagnoses for everyone affected by mental illnesses. To do so, please visit their website where you can make a donation simply – click here.

See what other OHs are doing to support charities worldwide

Haileybury instils in all its pupils and alumni the notion of Spirit of Service. Many OHs support charities and charitable initiatives throughout their lives and encourage others to do so too. To find out more, click the button below.

More OH Charitable Initiatives

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As a charity, The Haileybury Society relies on its income from membership fees, legacies and donations of all sizes to achieve our charitable aims, and to help fellow OHs of all ages. It is only through your help that we are able to do this; any donation, no matter its size, is always appreciated. Donate here

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