Ramsgate swimmer to take on English Channel relay challenge in aid of Aspire charity

March 28, 2026 Kathy Bailes Community 1

wendymain — Wendy Jones, pictured with raffle prizes to raise money for Aspire, will undertake the swim in July Photo Jemma Grainger-Willson

By Jemma Grainger-Willson

Ramsgate wonderwoman Wendy Jones and her team are gearing up for a mammoth relay swim across the channel this July, raising funds for the charity Aspire.

No stranger to physical escapades, 63 year old Wendy, originally from Bexley but now living in Ramsgate, enjoys nothing more than a cycle or a swim – often to raise money for charity, and sometimes, just for the sheer fun of it.

“I’ve been through a lot in my life”, Wendy told me as I perused the raffle prizes on offer in Ramsgate’s Royal Victoria Pavilion, to help her raise funds towards her chosen charity. “I think that’s why I just get out and do these things!”

As a sufferer of Rheumatoid Arthritis, Wendy has never let the condition get in her way.

Using cold immersion therapy to help manage her Arthritis flare-ups, the chilly waters of the channel shouldn’t phase her.

Away from the water, avid cyclist Wendy raised £3000 four years ago for Macmillan Cancer Support by cycling with a friend from Ramsgate to Cornwall.

Back in the water, she also donated £400 of her own money to Aspire, from a swim across the Solent, incredibly in a time of 1 hour 59 minutes.

This means Wendy is more than prepared for her next big challenge- a swim across the English Channel. With her fellow team members, the relay group of six, will set off from Dover harbour. The planned swim is set for Monday 13th July, as long as the unpredictable British weather doesn’t delay their planned start date and time.

So long as weather is on their side, once they’re ready, their pilot will then start their big swim from Samphire Hoe or Shakespeare Beach (wind direction dependent). Each team member will swim for an hour at a time, in rotation, until they have completed the approximate 21 miles across, to Cap Gris-Nez in France.

Aspire Charity

Wendy’s chosen charity Aspire has worked tirelessly since its launch in 1983, supporting people with Spinal Cord injury in the UK.

Current and ongoing projects include;

Adapted Housing Programme, offering newly discharged patients accommodation while their permanent accessible accommodation is being arranged.
Independent Living Advisors who provide practical support and advice to newly injured patients.
Assistive Technology facilities at Aspire’s specialist Spinal Injury Centres, to help people to use computers, regardless of their injury level.
Welfare Benefits Advice Service helping injured people receive and understand the correct benefits they’re entitled to.

Wendy is hoping to raise £2000 before her big swim on 13th July, with all proceeds going to Aspire.