Man set to take on ‘Everest of swimming’ for a cause close to home
A man is about to take on the biggest challenge of his life by swimming the English Channel next month.
Jonny Ratcliffe, 31, from East Dulwich Grove, East Dulwich, will be swimming the 32km route through powerful tides, across one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes and in between an unwelcome number of jellyfish.
The crossing can last anywhere between 10 to 17 hours and the rules are strict. Swimmers may not wear wetsuits or have any physical contact with another person or accompanying boat throughout the swim.
Mr Ratcliffe said: “It’s quite daunting, it felt like a pipe dream when I first thought of taking on the challenge but I have been training diligently at Red Tops Swim in London Fields Lido and the coaches have really helped me feel prepared.”
Mr Ratcliffe’s motivation for the challenge comes from an injury he developed over lockdown.
He said: “I had some back trouble over lockdown. I think it was from working at home and sitting at a desk all day, I ended up slipping a disk and had to get surgery.
“Part of the rehab process was swimming, I’d always wanted to get back into it because I enjoyed it so much when I was younger.
“I felt like I had some unfinished business with the sport.”
While at school Mr Ratcliffe had been a keen swimmer, competing at county level for Cheshire.
When he joined the London Fields Lido in London Fields West Side, Hackney, he did not realise that the coaches specialised in marathon swimming.
He said: “At the lido coaches have given me weekly training and guidance, all of the coaches have done this challenge before so it’s been perfect.”
As part of the training Mr Ratcliffe has competed in a number of competitions and challenges so far this year, including a three-person relay of the English Channel and a 15km race across Torbay, in Devon, back in July.
Mr Ratcliffe is raising money for Stonewall, a charity that campaigns for the rights of LGBTQ+ people everywhere.
He said: “I always knew I would do the challenge for a charity and this is something that feels quite close to home.
“Stonewall works with schools promoting diversity for exclusion to make education a more comfortable environment for LGBTQ+ people.
“Growing up I was questioning my sexuality for a while. There has been a great sea change in people’s attitudes to the community but schools and universities have a long way to go to make people feel comfortable.
“I was still discovering who I was at school, I don’t remember sex education ever being for LGBTQ+ people.
“I would have appreciated more in the way of support and services when I was a teenager, and hopefully Stonewall’s work will help make educational institutions more comfortable places to be able to come out.”
To donate to Stonewall charity visit Mr Ratcliffs fundraising page: https://www.justgiving.com/
Pictured top: Jonny Ratcliffe after his Torbay 15km swim alongside kayaker Chris Lewis (Picture: Jonny Ratcliffe)