Sally Minty-Gravett is due to swim from Dover to Calais in July in memory of her husband ,Charlie, who died in July last year.
The swim will take place some time between 30 June and 10 July, depending on sea and weather conditions.
Mrs Minty-Gravett had been due to swim the Channel last year, but she postponed the event due to her husband’s deteriorating health and subsequent death.
The challenge has now been called the ‘6th decade solo channel swim – for Charlie. In his memory’.
Mrs Minty-Gravett and her husband have played a major role in supporting the long-distance swimming community in Jersey over the years.
In 2016 she was made an MBE for her services to swimming and in the same year her husband was inducted into the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame.
Last week Mrs Minty-Gravett completed her qualifying swim in preparation for what will be her seventh cross-channel trip. She has made the crossing every decade since her first attempt in 1975.
In 2016 she also became the oldest swimmer to complete a two-way English Channel Swim, during which she spent a total of 36 hours and 26 minutes in the water.
So far she has raised £8,616 of her £10,000 target, with all of the money due to be donated to charity Dementia Jersey’s Splashchat programme – a swimming group for people with dementia – and the Jersey Lifeboat Association.
Commenting on her preparations for what she said would be her ‘retirement Channel swim’, Mrs Minty-Gravett explained: ‘I am keeping as focused as I can and staying healthy and strong in anticipation for the swim. Training has been very challenging with April and May being so cold and the sea being 1.5°C lower than it usually is at this time of year. But I am now feeling great and ready to rock.’
The swim has been sponsored by local finance company VG. Rachelle Le Core, the company’s marketing manager, said: ‘In 2020 we proudly partnered with Sally as principal sponsor of her seventh cross-Channel attempt in six decades. It was with much regret that Sally had to postpone her attempt until 2021 but we are immensely proud and inspired by her determination to complete the swim.’
To donate click here.
