AN OPEN water swimmer from North Yorkshire is taking on the challenge of a lifetime, to raise funds for her local hospice, which cared for her best friend.

Jacqui Hargrave is joining a team of four other Yorkshire swimmers to tackle an English Channel relay swim.

They will be braving jellyfish, boats and freezing waters, using their challenge to support their favourite charities. Jacqui is raising funds for Saint Michael’s Hospice, in Harrogate.

Jacqui’s support for the hospice started when her best friend Jane spent six weeks at the hospice before her death in 2017.

Jacqui said: “It wasn’t just a hospice; it was a venue for parties, girls’ nights in, movie nights and pamper days which we shared with Jane enabling many happy memories to be made at the most difficult of times.”

Jacqui says the biggest challenge during the swim will be the cold, but also cited jellyfish, currents and boats as other potential perils.

The swim’s stringent rules state each person can only swim one hour before another member of the team takes over. The team have to tackle currents and find their way around shipping lanes, so the swim could be up to 30 miles long.

To support her efforts, visit: https://bit.ly/331XBg7