A total of £15,000 has been raised so far for Jersey Hospice and the National Trust for Jersey. Those taking part are tasked with swimming 30 strokes in 30 different marked bays around the Island in 30 days.
It is the fourth year the event has taken place and 500 people signed up this year – eclipsing the 176 who put their names down in the inaugural year.
Following the last swim on Wednesday night at St Brelade’s Bay, Linzi Duckworth, event organiser, said she was delighted.
‘It’s just getting bigger and bigger every year and people are doing it in different, more challenging ways now,’ she said.
That included one group of seven who crammed all 30 swims into less than 11 hours and, if that wasn’t enough, cycled between each bay too – a total of almost 44 miles. The JEP also reported on two friends who completed the challenge in one day but, due to the low tides, jumped in a puddle at L’Etacq instead.
Mrs Duckworth added: ‘It’s a real family event and we’ve had comments from people saying it has brought a family together and got their bums off the settee and out and about.’
Rik De Louche, Lisa Mansell, David Bailey, Louise Bailey, Daniel D’Avoine and Jade Wright completed their version of the 30 Bays in 30 Days challenge last weekend. They started at Bel Croute at 9am and then made their way clockwise around the Island, stumbling across a romantic proposal at Le Saie along the way. The group eventually finished amongst the sea lettuce at First Tower at about 7.30pm.
‘Yeah, we didn’t really save the best until last,’ said Mr De Louche, a support worker at Acorn. ‘It was one of those… we just held our nose and got in.’
The group, all triathletes, runners or cyclists, did the mandatory 30 strokes in each bay and Mr De Louche said as the day wore on a chill started to set in. They were only wearing their tri-suits.
‘We did plan to go for a meal and a drink at the end but we were all shivering so it was just back home for a shower,’ added the 33-year-old who said his favourite bay is Ouaisné.
The group plan to make their version of the event an annual occurrence and want to find others to join them so they can raise more money for charity. The 30 Bays challenge supports both Jersey Hospice and the National Trust for Jersey.
‘We have a group of friends and we always set challenges. Our next one is to follow the Go Wild Gorillas trail and try to cycle to all 40 of the big gorillas in one day. We’ve also connected up all the cycle routes in Jersey [marked by numbered blue signs on the road] and made one big route. It’s 106 miles so we are going to do that again and try to beat our time,’ added the St Ouen parishioner and former Victoria College student.
The Durrell Go Wild Gorillas Trail is a series of life-size gorilla sculptures scattered around the Island to mark the charity’s 60th anniversary. Maps can be downloaded from app stores or collected from Durrell or Visit Jersey. For more information visit wildlife.durrell.org.
