Army Officers Take On Non-Stop Swimming Challenge Around The Isle Of Wight In Aid Of Charities

More people have set foot on the moon than have completed a non-stop swim around the Isle of Wight. That's the size of the challenge facing military neurosurgeon Lt Col David Baxter and army officer Major Jessica French as they seek to become the sixth and seventh people to successfully complete the 62-mile open water swim.

Depending on weather and tide conditions, the two friends will be setting off from Bembridge between the 28th and 31st of August. The team will be racing the tide as they battle against the largest tide of the year which can measure up to 4.5 knots per hour.

David and Jessica will be each swimming up to 32 hours in order to raise money for two separate charities: Spinal Research, which funds research into paralysis and Reorg, a charity focused on supporting service personnel and veterans from across all arms of the armed forces and emergency services. 

The idea for the challenge came during lockdown when Jessica and David started open water swimming together. This became their 'club' during the pandemic, with Jessica living on her own for the first time, and David’s regular work stopped to allow him to support the battle against Covid-19.

Swimming together became a vital source of mental wellbeing for them both, and the challenge became an opportunity to raise funds for charities close to their heart.

Half of the funds generated will go to Spinal Research which is helping develop ground-breaking research into spinal cord injury, as Lt Col Baxter explains:

“Every four hours someone in the UK is paralysed due to an injury to their spinal cord. This can happen to anyone, at any age and is life changing for the individual and their family.

"Recent research has made major breakthroughs in our understanding of spinal cord biology over the last 30 years, and I’ve seen first-hand the potential for new treatments which could help restore movement and sensation for those living with paralysis today.”

In particular David will be supported by Ian Witney who was paralysed in 2016 and has benefited from a new life changing spinal stimulation technology:

"I met LtCol Baxter whilst in military rehabilitation he performed the operation to implant an electrical spinal simulator into my body. The changes I have seen have improved my quality of life hugely and this is only the tip of the iceberg.”

Army Education officer, Major Jessica French is particularly passionate about improving the lives for ex-military and emergency personnel and will be raising money for Reorg:

“I’m supporting Reorg because the challenges of frontline duty can leave military, personnel and first responders facing severe mental and physical difficulties.

"Problems often get worse once they leave the service and no longer have the camaraderie and support of colleagues and consistency of day-to-day duties.

"REORGs Mission is to provide a platform for our service personnel (current and former) to learn Brazilian jiu-jitsu and reconnect with fitness. They work with people who have a whole range of serious, life-altering physical injuries, as well as those suffering debilitating post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression or anyone that needs support.”

You can find out more about Jess, David, follow their training regime and the charities at racingthetideiow.com and @racingthetideiow on social media.

Donations can be made via their Justgiving page: justgiving.com/team/racingthetideiow