A SWIMMER from York is hoping to cross the English Channel today in defiance of jellyfish, bitterly cold sea and tankers.

Vikki Wright, 42 , of Tadcaster Road, is raising funds for research into a rare genetic disease related to the fatal brain condition Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), which killed a workplace colleague.

She said she had been preparing for the gruelling crossing for the past two years, during which she had tried to simulate conditions she was likely to face in the ‘cold, salty, sea-weedy water’.

The University of York employee said: “I’ve even placed myself in the position where I was stung by jelly fish to know what it feels like. But all of this is nothing compared to the mental battle ahead of me.”

She said fewer than 1,000 women had ever completed a solo crossing and the average crossing time was 13-and-a-half hours. And while the closest distance from England to France was approximately 21 miles, most swimmers tackled an S-shaped course of about 30 miles.

“The Channel is one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world with 600 tankers and 200 ferries passing through every day,” she said. “I will be relying on my escort boat and crew to navigate me safely across, not to mention feed me.

“The temperature of the Channel is likely to be about 14.5C and my body will be working hard not only to swim but maintain my core body temperature.”

She said she would need to eat every 30 minutes but stop only for 20 to 30 seconds, as drifting could add many hours to the swim.

“My family, friends, and colleagues have followed me every step of the way and invested heavily and, if there are 100 reasons to want to quit, they will be the one reason to stay in.”

Vikki said she used to work at the University of Leeds,where a researcher and nutritionist called Diana Camidge died two years ago from Gerstmann Straussler Scheinker Syndrome. She was now raising funds for The Diana Camidge Foundation, set up in Diana’s memory in the hope of creating a drug to treat the illness.

To monitor Vikki's progress during the challenge, go to channelswimmingassociation.com/tracking - her support boat is the Connemara - and to sponsor Vikki, go to justgiving.com/fundraising/vikki-wright2018