Students dive into charity work

STUDENTS from Beech Hall School in Macclesfield will take part in an English Channel relay swim in an attempt to raise £25,000 for charity.

Thirteen pupils in Years 8 to 11 will make up the squad, and are currently in training ahead of the swim next September.

The challenge is in aid of Mencap, a learning disabilities charity, and the wider school community is also taking part in fundraising to help reach the £25,000 target.

Preparation is already underway with the pupils training in the school’s outdoor swimming pool.

Headmaster, James Allen, said: “The dedication shown by the team is already remarkable swimming in torrential rain and a commitment to continue to train through winter, their determination and resilience are excellent qualities with which to tackle this arduous challenge.

“The Channel relay swim is an incredibly demanding, yet exceptionally rewarding task which presents the perfect opportunity for our pupils to personally challenge themselves, striving to develop their skills and self-confidence while also raising money for an exceptionally worthy cause.”

Led by qualified, open-water swimming coaches, Nikki Pope and Karen Ennis, the Beech Hall pupils are being put through their paces with twice-weekly training sessions.

They will then progress to sessions in the open water to develop their technique, cardio and body composition.

The non-selective independent school which is part of the Riverston group is also preparing the pupils for the mental challenge of swimming the channel.

As such they are receiving expert coaching from SwimMastery.

Delivered by Nikki Pope, the training allows the whole swim squad to engage in techniques only made available by SwimMastery to elite athletes.