BEST (Bristol English Channel Swim Team)

Just before Christmas the BEST team headed down to London for an amazing day of celebration.  To their utter surprise and delight they were presented with coveted Gold Blue Peter badges and then went on to Downing Street where they had tea with David and Samantha Cameron and turned on the Downing Street Christmas lights.  The BEST swimmers were joined by other amazing children from all over the UK who were also 2010 Blue Peter Gold badge winners.  The Blue Peter featuring the team was aired on January 10th.

This seems a fitting finale to a great project.  Thank you to everyone who worked so hard and with such skill and dedication to make the team’s dreams come true.

Yesterday  BEST swimmers Becky Sheppard, Danny Pirrett, Angus Rowley and James Elmer presented Surf Life Saving GB’s chairman with a cheque  for £1000.   SLSGB hope to use the money to buy a life saving training board for their junior members - so helping to train our lifesavers of the future   A big thank you to everyone who organised and supported the swimmers’ fundraising events!

As well as presenting the cheque, the hardy swimmers – the only ones without wetsuits! – took part in an 800m sea race, with Danny Pirrett and his sister Georgia winning their categories, with the other BEST swimmers close on their heels.

Without the advice and support of Surf Life Saving GB, in particular Bill Ezekiel and his team in Southbourne, the BEST swimmers would not have been able to achieve their world record.

A second fundraising cheque, for Children’s Hospices UK, will be presented at BEST’s World Record party in November.

The BEST team completed their Channel relay swim in 13.5 hours.

The tide has just started to turn West. Excellent progress, half the team are asleep as James swims alone.

The whole team are doing great, they are now swimming in the dark, here is a chart of their progress.

Progress as at 21:18

After 3 weeks of waiting (a whole week of which was in Dover) we have finally got the break in the weather.

We are at the harbour and waiting to leave to attempt our world record.

Thanks to everyone for your support – we hope to make you proud.

The BEST team

BEST swimmers have dominated recent open water championships in the South West – and beyond.   Although all the BEST swimmers are only 12 they have won or being placed in every single event they have entered beating swimmers 2 or 3 years older and in many cases leaving grown men and women trailing in their wake!  Here’s just a taste of their achievements so far … .and remember all our swimmers are only 12 competing against under 14s and under 15s :

ASA SW Open Water Championships, Weymouth:

750m (14u) Becky Sheppard 1st place; 1.5km (14u) Alex Chantler 1st place; 3km (14u) Lewis Clarke (2nd place)

ASA Gloucester County Open Water Championships, Henleaze:

600m Danny Pirret 1st place;  James Elmer 2nd place

600m Rebecca Sheppard 1st place (NEW COUNTY RECORD); Eleanor Aris (last year’s winner) 2nd place

ASA Wiltshire County Open Water Championships

1.5km (15u) Alex Chantler 2nd place; Alex has also qualified for the NATIONAL 1.5km open water finals

ASA SE Championships, Eastbourne

2km (12-13yrs) James Elmer 2nd place; Eleanor Aris 4th place

Clevedon ASA Long Mile sea race

In a total field of 42 swimmers (of all ages) only 3 swimmers managed to beat our 12 year old swimmers, with Danny Pirret coming joint 3rd overall.

Through the early Spring our swimmers have trained in unpleasant, rough and very cold water – they have shown they have the guts and determination to keep going no matter what.  Now they have shown they are speed merchants as well.  Well done to everyone for the hard work, it’s paid off.

Rain,big waves and swell greeted the BEST swimmers at Southbourne for the May Bank Holiday weekend.  Unlike the rest of Britain, the BEST swimmers were pleased with the conditions as they gave the team the opportunity to practice surf entries and exits and to cope with some big waves and swell.    Hopefully the Channel will not throw these sort of conditions at the swimmers but perhaps it was fitting that they stayed at a local Scout camp where the moto “Be prepared”  couldn’t have been more apt. 

As ever expert safety cover was provided by Bill Ezekiel and his Surf Life Saving GB team (TJ, Paul, John and Jack), who are trained specifically to help those in distress in such conditions.    We couldn’t train without them so HUGE thanks and we are pleased to be raising money for this very worthwhile organisation.  [photos to follow]