ARMY NEUROSURGEON AND MAJOR TO TAKE ON ROUND ISLAND SWIMMING CHALLENGE

2 Army Officers will swim around the Island at the end of August to raise money for research into paralysis and help military and emergency personnel transition back to civilian life.

Did you know that more people have set foot on the moon than have completed a non-stop swim around the Isle of Wight? Lt Col David Baxter and fellow army officer Major Jessica French aim to become only the 6th and 7th people to complete the 62-mile circumnavigation

Depending on weather and tide conditions, the 2 friends will be setting off from Bembridge on the IOW 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.

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David and Jessica will be each swimming for up to 32 hours to raise money for 2 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.

Lt Col Baxter – who is fundraising for Spinal Research – explains the idea for the marathon swim:

“Every 4 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.”

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:

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Jessica says:

“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 & 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 and David and follow their training regime and the charities via the dedicated website: racingthetideiow.com

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