L IGH T E R S I D E ELLIMAN TAKES ON CHANNEL CHALLENGE Andrew Elliman, Head of European Business Development AGS Group, swam 11 miles (17.7km)of the English Channel in aid of charity despite having a fear of water and not being able to swim a stroke just three years earlier. He set off from Dover, in the UK, in September 2021 and swam without wearing a wetsuit, as specified by the Channel Swimming Association, the body that governs official Channel attempts. He embarked on the feat following a conversation with his mother shortly before she died. In those weeks before she passed, we had many conversations and one was me telling my mum I was thinking of learning to swim, in order to swim the English Channel, he said. My mother closed her eyes and shook her head in disbelief, then turned to me and said go for it son, life is just too short. He took swimming lessons and, excluding lockdowns, practised in the pool at 6am almost every day in the three years leading up the swim which was originally scheduled for 2020 but postponed because of the pandemic. At weekends, I swam with an open water instructor and friends in a local river near to where I live, and in some rather nice lakes as well, he said. When pools closed during lockdown periods, he set up an adult paddling pool and used a bungy cord tied to a post to allow him to carry on training. Doing this, he also swam a fundraiser for his charities Community Action Nepal and the Keech Hospice in Luton Andrew Elliman on his swim at his local pub in October 2020. Having trained for 16 weekends in Dover harbour, regardless of the weather, he set off at 7.30am on 18 September with his support boat, where a team kept him going with carbohydrate drinks and encouragement. Andrew Elliman on the support board after his Channel swim After negotiating jellyfish, container ships and tough, choppy conditions during five hours of swimming, Elliman says he was delighted to make the 11-mile mark, despite not making the entire crossing. The moment I set off, I instantly realised I had achieved what I set out to do, and that was overcome my fear of water and learn to swim, he said. I realised the Channel was never about reaching France but was me saying goodbye to my mother and making peace in my heart. The swim was his latest venture, following two Everest climbs for charity. Elliman is already preparing for his next adventure which, although currently a secret, is likely to involve two-wheeled transport. He says: I am setting my goals for the challenge. Get ready for the unexpected. To donate to Andrews charities, visit: https://englishchannelswim20-21.info/ Colmenares strikes out for Egyptian swim For Paula Colmenares, of Portan in Colombia, the pandemic gave her the opportunity to return to her childhood love of swimming. I used to be a swimmer when I was a teenager, but after all those long months of COVID lockdown, I took the decision to get back to it as a serious outdoor sport in 74 FF304 Dec_Jan 22 pp74-76 Lighter Side.indd 74 October last year, she said. After overcoming the physical challenge of returning to the water, she set her sights on bigger goals, taking part in her first 5k open water challenge at San Andrs island in Colombia in August. She was placed fourth in her category with a time of two hours and 12 minutes, against a tough tide. The time qualified her to enter the Open Water World Championship in the Dead Sea in Egypt, in December. Swimming has helped me find a special state of mind. Its like meditation mode, which hooked me from the start. Swimming in Egypt is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, she said. WWW. F I D I FOC U S . OR G 07/12/2021 16:11