Blesma Veterans Attempt Historic English Channel Night Swim

The only all-amputee team to swim the English Channel is aiming for a record-breaking repeat with a night crossing.

An intrepid group of Blesma Members will take the plunge tomorrow night (Tuesday) to create history by becoming the only team of limbless swimmers to cross the English Channel twice. The former forces team, each missing a leg, are in the final phase of training to repeat their epic endeavour of 11 years ago when they set a record as the first all-amputee squad to make the crossing. The swimmers, all Members of Blesma, the Limbless Veterans, face a daunting 25-mile battle mainly in the dark to make the best of the tides, setting out from Dover at 10.40pm on Tuesday.

Nobody has attempted it since but we wanted to give it another go because it says something about living your life as amputees and doing things regardless of your age or condition

Blesma Member Steve White

“We were the first to do it and decided it would be a great idea to try it again. The challenge is that we are all 11 years older and two of us are over 60 so it will be a tough task, and now we have the added challenge of swimming at night,” says Steve White, deputy chairman of Blesma’s board of trustees.

“Nobody has attempted it since but we wanted to give it another go because it says some-thing about living your life as amputees and doing things regardless of your age or condition.

“The feedback from the first swim was great and we hope this will help inspire people again while also raising funds for Blesma and the incredible work it does for veterans and their families.”

Donate On JustGiving >

The team – Steve, 60, Conrad Thorpe, 61 an ex Lt Colonel in the Royal Marines, 57-year-old Craig Howorth, from Bacup, Lancashire, who served as a submariner in the Royal Navy, and Jamie Gillespie, 50 a former Royal Engineer from Hertfordshire – hope to complete the crossing in under 14 hours.

The attempt, sponsored by family-owned development, building and property maintenance company Wates Group, is expected to raise around £15,000. It was originally scheduled last year on the 10th anniversary of the crossing but had to be cancelled because of bad weather.

“It was disappointing to have to call it off but we are committed people and couldn’t let it go and, although we’re unlikely to beat our record of 12 hours 14 minutes from ten years ago, it will be a great achievement and an emotional event just to make it across,” says Steve, who lost his left leg after a training injury while serving with the Royal Green Jackets infantry regiment. “There are four of us but we only have four legs so it takes so much effort to cover the distance.

“But we are doing it to help inspire others and to raise funds for Blesma and that is plenty of motivation alongside our personal determination.”

Vivienne Buck, Blesma’s chief executive, adds: “This is an extremely tough challenge but they have been training hard and are determined to show what can be achieved after injury and setbacks. “