I started swimming in a pool two years ago, in aid to help a recurring shoulder injury. From that I got curious about swimming further distances as I’ve always been into fitness and a Google search to see if there were any swims over to the Isle of Wight led me to Aspire. I registered for their Solent Swim and this forced me to start swimming properly in open water.  Prior to that I had never swum any distance in open water apart from just a dip in places like the Lake District and the sea.

Since signing up to the Solent Swim, I have taken part in open water swimming events to aid my training. In 2025 I did the Seahorse Swim and Bournemouth Pier to Pier along with consistent open water training sessions by myself.  This year the majority of my training has been in the pool, along with solo training sessions once the water temperature heated up.

I enjoy swimming outside and the many factors you have to contend with. After a swim there’s nothing better than sitting by the water and watching the world go by in beautiful locations. Swimming helps me shut off from a busy world and when I don’t use ear plugs, I get to hear the water in my ears which is a soothing sound.  The cold water also aids with my shoulder injury. 

I signed up to this swim as I like to challenge myself and push my body to see what can be achieved. The Solent Swim is a chance to challenge myself while raising money for a charity that does fantastic work for people with spinal cord injuries.

My Solent Swim

The conditions was not as flat as I was expecting for, but that didn’t make for any major issues. The waves were coming from left to right, so I got a mouthful of water sometimes as I only breath on my left.  My overall time was 3 hours 1 minute, but my swimming time was 2 hours 48 minutes.  We had one major stop to regroup in the middle and I only stopped briefly for a sip of water another time.  I ended up swimming 4.28 miles.

I really enjoyed the experience, even with swimming further than expected and getting stung on the back off the neck while swimming!  Everyone – the staff, support and other swimmers - were very friendly.  Completing the swim and finding out I swam further than expected is great because the next swim I want to do next year is only a mile longer.

I’m very happy to have raised over £1,000. I have a large family and circle of friends so all my donations came from them.  I don’t know anyone with a spinal injury, but my dad has a friend whose family has, and they reached out to my dad after seeing his posts on Facebook about my swim.  They were very grateful for the amount I raised and that I was doing it for Aspire and have asked to meet up with my dad and give him a cash donation to add to my fundraising.   I didn’t know about Aspire until I found their swim, but after reading about the charity and how much it helps people it was an honour to raise money for them.

I would like to say a massive thank you to Aspire for everything they do for people with spinal injuries and for putting the Solent swim on.  Thank you to everyone who donated for my swim and to my friends and family for their support in it all, it means a lot.  I will continue pushing my body further and hopefully keep raising money for charity while doing so.  

Sponsor Liam 

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