Newbury woman’s all female ‘no buoys’ Channel swim raises thousands for Recovery in Mind

A Newbury woman has completed an English Channel swim challenge for mental health.

Claire Vincent raised £6,000 for a Newbury-based organisation close to her heart, Recovery in Mind.

With her all female relay team ‘No Bouys’ she completed the event – which she had spent two years training for, particularly in cold open water throughout the winter months.

The team contended with sea sickness, huge commercial ships, jellyfish and tidal conditions.

But they met the challenge head-on, beating their predicted time by a number of hours and completing the challenge in just over 14 hours.

“We did it,” Ms Vincent said after completing what she called a euphoric experience.

“It was the most amazing experience.

“I have never felt so euphoric and still do.

“14 hours and 18 minutes of great teamwork.

“Spring tides meant we were up against it, but, wow, it was worth it and to know that every penny raised is going to Recovery in Mind just adds the icing to the cake.”

She added: “I was nervous as you would expect, but as soon as I dived in my first thought was: It’s not as cold as I expected.

“Then I knew I would be ok and enjoyed the whole thing.

“Thanks everyone for your support, it means so much.”

In a recent talk with students at Recovery in Mind she said her stand-out moments were watching the sun rise and getting to the beach in France.

“I couldn’t stop smiling,” she told them.

“It was such a great feeling and to do it with my friends made it extra special.

“Recovery In Mind helped me so much, to be able to give back to them has been great.”