A County Durham mum-of-two has made a huge splash for charity – by swimming around Jersey to raise funds for a group which supported her in difficult times.
Marie-Helene Sanderson, a Trust clinical specialist based at Shotley Bridge Hospital, completed a gruelling 36-mile lap of the largest Channel Island in just under 11 hours.
“It was my longest ever swim. Parts of it were tough, and at one point my arms felt like lead, but it was a lot of fun for a very good cause,” she said.
Tough training for charity challenge
Marie-Helene underwent 18 months of extensive training before taking on her epic challenge – regularly swimming in the North Sea to build up her stamina a and strength.
And she even made her Jersey swim under strict Channel swimming rules – which meant she wasn’t allowed a wetsuit and could not touch her support boat at any time.
“In Jersey it’s warm compared to what I’m used to. It was 18 degrees, whereas before I left it was only 14 degrees at Tynemouth,” she said.
“The first part of the swim was quite calm, and it let me get into a steady rhythm, but the North coast was really choppy, so that was quite challenging.
“I had a dark part where I had to work really hard and think about how I was getting through the rest of the swim, because I was so tired. But I did it!”
Raising funds for good cause
Marie-Helene was a competitive swimmer as a child but gave up the sport until her 30s, when a friend invited her to try open water swimming. She loved it.
Now her hobby has helped her raise over £2,700 for the Just for Women Centre in Stanley – as a thank you for the support she received when her marriage broke down.
“I wanted to raise some money for the group and give something back to the local community,” said Marie-Helene, 43, who lives in Stanley.
“Swimming really helps me in hard times – and so did Just for Women. I wanted to do the swim to help get the charity’s name out there, as it is such a good cause.”
Charity founder Linda Kirk, who describes Marie-Helene as an “phenomenal woman”, said: “Every ripple created by this swim will reach out to someone in need.”
Marathon plans for the future
Marie-Helene is not, however, resting on her laurels. Indeed, she is now planning her next great adventure – swimming the English Channel in 2027.
She hopes to inspire her sons – aged nine and 12 – with her actions, and is keen to show them that they can fulfil their dreams with hard work.
“As a child I always dreamt of swimming the Channel, and now I’ve realised that it doesn’t have to be just a dream – it could be reality,” she said.
“I believe that you can do anything you want to, if you put the work in. I only ever liked swimming in pools as a child, but open water swimming makes me feel alive, confident and strong.”
