A TEAM including three members of Bracknell & Wokingham Swimming Club have raised £1,600 for charity after swimming the English Channel.

The challenge was organised by Carol Butler as a celebration for her 60th birthday, although she was unable to take part due to injury.

Bracknell & Wokingham’s Terry Wright, Simon Whiteside and Lauren Seymour were joined by partners from Spencer London and Sarasota Sharks, Florida, as they took on the task in the early hours of the morning.

Wright started the relay from Samphire Hoe just after midnight with conditions horrendous, and he swam for one hour with Whiteside and then Seymour taking over.

With strong winds and thunder and lightning present, the boat rolled violently causing sea sickness, but the team battled on – despite Seymour also being stung by jellyfish.

As the French coast began to appear, the team continued to rotate in hour-long stints, and with three miles to go were swimming into a tide of 5mph.

Seymour put in a brave effort to get to within 350m of the coast, and Wright completed the job with a six-minute dash.

The group's tremendous effort saw them complete the challenge in 12 hours and six minutes – the fourth fastest time this year.

The £1,600 raised by the team will be split between two charities – Breathe On and Berkshire Autism Society.