Pateley Bridge gran, 82, completes Channel swim

BBC News

2 days ago

An 82-year-old woman has become one of the oldest people to swim across the English Channel as part of a relay team.Dot Wagstaff, from Pateley Bridge in North Yorkshire, joined five others taking it in turns to swim legs of the 21-mile (34km) crossing between Dover and France.The team set off at 01:00 BST on 18 June, swimming in dark and cold conditions with Ms Wagstaff wearing a swimming costume, goggles and cap. Despite being diverted by the French Navy, the relay group landed near Wissant beach in France 18 hours and 18 minutes later.
The challenge was in aid of Cosmic, a charity that supports families, nurses and doctors treating babies and children in intensive care."It was interesting, cold, glad I've done it but relieved to get it over with," Ms Wagstaff said. "One of the challenges was that it should have taken place last September and when we went down to do it, we never got a window in the decent weather. "It was put back to this year so it meant that I've had to continue training throughout the winter, which was challenging because it meant quite a lot of cold water."
Every swimmer did three hour-long legs, with one also finishing the last 18 minutes of the relay."You're given a particular order and you have to stick to that order, no matter if you get ill, you've got to do your stint," Ms Wagstaff said."It was a brilliant team. It was the first time we'd all been together but we all got on so well and the over-riding thing was we didn't want to let each other down by not doing our legs."However, the team had to swim further than intended against the tide."We'd got delayed by a French naval vessel which had put an exclusion zone on the area that we were heading to," Ms Wagstaff added."When we actually got there, the relief was amazing and there was just so much enjoyment from everybody."
Ms Wagstaff is no stranger to taking on challenges, after also competing in the Ironman world championships in Hawaii when she was in her 60s."I think this one has been the longest coming," she said."It's something I wanted to do, probably very unrealistically, in my teens because I've always swum."The grandmother did both lake and pool swims as part of her training.She joked a divorce would be on the cards if she took on another huge challenge but a reunion with her swim team, who were mostly in their 50s, would certainly be planned.Collectively, the group raised more than £25,000 for Cosmic.The charity's chief executive, Susannah Forland, said: "We are extremely proud of Dot and the rest of the Cosmic Rays team on such a fantastic achievement. "We are enormously grateful for their amazing fundraising efforts, which will directly support essential services, including on-site-family accommodation, counselling support, specialist equipment for our intensive care units and vital research into life-threatening childhood diseases."
Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.